Why Avengers: Age Of Ultron's 10th Anniversary Tribute Reminded Me How Underrated The MCU Sequel Is

Recently, Marvel shared a tribute in honor of the 10-year anniversary of Avengers: Age of Ultron, showcasing vignettes of various moments throughout the film. The highly-anticipated sequel to The Avengers starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/the Hulk, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johanson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, and Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye. These returning Avengers were joined by newcomers Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Paul Bettany.
I was a junior in high school when Avengers: Age of Ultron was released, and in the months leading up to its theatrical debut, our Marvel Cinematic Universe hype was at an all-time high. Come May 2015, we decided to pile up in my friend"s van and drive to a city theater for a 29-hour movie marathon. Ranging from Iron Man to Avengers: Age of Ultron, the goal was to watch every Marvel film thus far. I wore my Her Universe Loki Dress, smuggled in a Subway footlong, and settled in for a long, long day—shoutout to my mother for letting me skip school. Of the 7-person group I watched with, I was the only one who didn"t fall asleep.
Despite my mounting excitement, my initial impression of Avengers: Age of Ultron was not favorable. Though it delivered on being a spectacle, I found myself dissatisfied with how the film handled its new characters and the Black Widow/Hulk romance, among other, more nitpicky complaints.
Avengers: Age of Ultron Didn't Land With Me In 2015 The Avengers Sequel Failed To Live Up To Its Predecessor Close A common modern complaint of moviegoers is that trailers give too much away. This was certainly the case with Avengers: Age of Ultron; from the film"s marketing alone, my teenage self deduced that Taylor-Johnson"s Quicksilver would die because there was a shot of his sister, Scarlet Witch, screaming in the trailer. Despite that prediction, I was still disappointed with how Marvel"s answer to the Flash went out--in a halo of gunfire. Quicksilver did at least die via heroic sacrifice, ensuring the team"s resident family man, Hawkeye, would get home to his kids and expecting wife.

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Posts 3 Beyond Quicksilver"s anticlimactic demise, there were significant issues with Avengers: Age of Ultron. One such issue saw the romantic relationship between Black Widow and Hulk taking several turns, from Natasha being able to soothe Hulk to the latter deciding to fly away into space in order to avoid hurting her and other loved ones.
The most egregious moment in this romance, however, involved Natasha calling herself a monster due to her forced sterilization. While it would be normal for her to lament her inability to have children, Avengers: Age of Ultron perpetuates the idea that a woman"s value stems from motherhood by introducing Natasha"s struggle and not developing it into a bigger arc for her character so that she could find worth elsewhere.
Other, smaller gripes I have with the film include the decision to exclude Ultron"s original creator, Hank Pym, and to kill off Hydra head Varon Von Strucker before he really did anything major in the MCU. Still, the anniversary tribute swayed me towards the film"s more positive attributes.
How The Avengers: Age Of Ultron Tribute Changed My Mind Avengers: Age of Ultron Has A Number Of Standout Moments

To understand why Avengers: Age of Ultron"s anniversary video hit, each moment needs to be addressed. The tribute opens with the various Avengers attempting to lift Thor"s hammer: Tony, Tony and Rhodey together, Bruce, and Steve. For the latter, the hammer budges, making Thor appear worried. When Natasha is asked if she wants a turn, she says: "That"s not a question I need answered." Though later in the film Black Widow"s characterization suffers, this interaction perfectly sets up the dynamic between all the Avengers.
Afterward, it transitions to an often-memed scene of Iron Man and Captain America chopping wood at Hawkeye"s house. The two discuss the visions that Scarlet Witch showed them, and Tony casts doubt on Steve over his lack of a "dark side." The heroes then argue over Ultron and Tony"s motives in creating him. Angry, Steve rips a log in half with his bare hands, stating: "Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time." Slower dialogues like this are essential to developing characters with opposing viewpoints.
Next, the scene shifts to Iron Man (in the Hulkbuster armor) fighting the Hulk in an attempt to minimize the carnage in his wake. Subsequently, the Avengers fight Ultron and fail to take him out, prompting the sentient program to lecture the Avengers on the need for their extinction. Vision"s "birth" is then shown, as well as the Avengers—and his future wife the Scarlet Witch—reacting. Another vignette recreates the iconic 360-degree shot from The Avengers, but with the original team, along with Vision, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch, fighting Ultron"s sentries, before shifting into a broader fight between Vision and Ultron.
Each of these moments showcase the best Avengers: Age of Ultron has to offer. Blame it on Nostalgia if you will, but upon rewatching the scenes in the tribute, I felt inspired to rewatch the entire film for the first time since 2015. To my surprise, I found a lot to enjoy in the sophomore Avengers film.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron Aged Better Than I Expected Many Threads Started In Avengers: Age of Ultron Have Paid Off Elsewhere Close While Avengers: Age of Ultron is still not my favorite Avengers film, much less my favorite MCU installment, the movie is better than audience members—myself included—remember. A large reason why is hindsight. This film introduced the popular Scarlet Witch, continued forwarding the Infinity Saga by explaining the Mind Stone, and teased War Machine and Falcon as future Avengers. All of these elements pay off, with Scarlet Witch receiving her own series, the mind stone being a MacGuffin in Avengers: Infinity War, and Falcon becoming Captain America. These examples only scratch the surface of what the movie set up.
Additionally, the film had numerous memorable action sequences, such as Iron Man versus Hulk. Between these various elements, Avengers: Age of Ultron makes for a satisfying rewatch, especially after 10 more years of MCU content.

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