Major Marvel News: “Age of Ultron” Details Released, New Captain America Crowned

Buena Vista(NEW YORK) — Two major pieces of news for Marvel fans were released Wednesday: one from the world of its comic books, and the other from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.

Entertainment Weekly leaked details about its upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron cover story, featuring secrets about the sequel, including shots of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and the other members of the superhero team in the 2015 movie, as well as the basics of the plot.

As some speculated, the movie’s villain, the malevolent robot Ultron, is created by Downey’s Tony Stark as something of a replacement for his hero Iron Man, but the super-intelligent robot gets away from the playboy inventor in a big way — and targets mankind for extinction. James Spader will voice and motion-perform the baddie, the first official picture of which is featured on the magazine’s cover.

“Ultron sees the big picture and he goes, ‘Okay, we need radical change, which will be violent and appalling, in order to make everything better,” writer-director Joss Whedon explains. “He’s on a mission. He wants to save us.”

Also breaking Wednesday, a day after it was announced the new Thor is female, Marvel Comics revealed Steve Rogers will again be replaced as Captain America — at least in the pages of the comics.

“I don’t have to tell you that the world is falling apart under Barack Obama’s leadership,” Colbert joked before outlining the story line that will see a villain extracting Cap’s super-serum from his blood, aging him 65 years in a matter of seconds. “Meaning his new super-serum will be Ensure,” Colbert quipped.

Marvel Comics Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada revealed, “Sam Wilson, his partner, the Falcon, is becoming the new Captain America,” and taking up Rogers’ spangly vibranium shield. “This new guy’s black,” Colbert noted. “Doesn’t that make him Captain African-America?”

This leaves an opening for the Falcon, who was played by Anthony Mackie in the blockbuster Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Colbert said he’s ready to strap on Falcon’s wings — something Quesada predicted, producing a comic rendering of Colbert as the hero, as drawn by Marvel’s Kris Anka. Colbert responded by trying out a new catchphrase: “Why did the Falcon cross the road? For justice, motherfu***er!”

Wilson will take on the role of the red, white, and blue hero in October’s Captain America #25. For the record, he makes the seventh character to use the name, according to the books. Another former sidekick, Rogers’ childhood friend Bucky Barnes, formerly known as The Winter Soldier, also took up the mantle of Captain America for a spell.

The Captain switch won’t be seen on the big screen anytime soon, as Evans is still contracted to play him.

Age of Ultron hits theaters May 1, 2015.

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