Earlier this week, a bunch of low-quality image scans from The Avengers made their way online after debuting in the latest print edition of Empire Magazine.  Naturally, we were happy to have some new looks at the first franchise crossover of its kind, regardless of how spotty the stills might appear.  Three days later, though, Marvel just said, "To hell with that," and kindly released crisp, clear versions of those three images featuring Nick Fury, Steve Rogers, Hawkeye, and Black Widow. 

Because Marvel is a magnanimous studio, it has also provided two additional, all new images, one a close up of Fury, and the other a combo of Bruce Banner and Tony Stark looking at something interesting offscreen.

The merchandising tie-ins for The Avengers should start filling store shelves and fast food baggies over the next two months, and that means we'll be getting some new looks at the film courtesy of cheaply made hunks of plastic.  Today, two new images spotlight the super team member of whom we've seen the least: the Incredible Hulk, played as Dr. Bruce Banner by Mark Ruffalo and in "beast mode" by expensive visual effects created principally thanks to Industrial Light and Magic.

Believe it or not, boys and girls, the biggest effort from Marvel Studios is just three full months away.  The Avengers, a fanboy dream if ever there's been one, drops in 3D on May 4th, meaning you've got time to get your hands on some Rogue 3D Eyewear before Iron Man, Thor, Captain American, and the Incredible Hulk battle Loki and...somebody else.  Marvel honcho Kevin Feige has some thoughts on that somebody else in the latest issue of Empire.  not only that, but several variant covers for the issue feature the different members of the superhero squad, except for poor, misunderstood Hulk.  Bruce Banner is also left out of a handful of photos from the magazine.

One of the big observations regarding the first and thus far only trailer for The Avengers was that it leaned pretty heavily on Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, enough so that it gave the impression that the film might be more Iron Man featuring The Avengers than a proper ensemble.  It makes sense that Marvel and Disney would sell the movie this way preliminarily, as Downey's hero has more traction with audiences than his counterparts.  According to writer-director Joss Whedon, a dude who knows a thing or two about juggling eclectic ensembles, the indispensable man in a narrative sense is actually Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, once again played by Chris Evans.

Okay, let's get this out there immediately: This is the most minor of minor updates, and will be accordingly brief.  Basically, this is seizing another opportunity to geek out about the fact that The Avengers is an actual thing that is actually happening.  An image of a theater standee has made its way online, showing exactly what the modular display will look like in the lobby of a multiplex near you.

It's no great shakes, as the display created by LAgraphico uses images we've already seen in the form of two banners putting the superheroes in a lineup.  The difference is in who is on offer and the minor addition of the actors' names above their character.  It's incredibly lame, but something about seeing a standee that includes the main team and credits like "Jeremy Renner is Hawkeye" is just cool.

Back in earliest December, Paramount rolled out the first official image of Gemma Arterton and Jeremy Renner in the comedic 3D action adventure Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.  That was done with a promise of a trailer arriving online the following week, so when said trailer failed to materialize over the next month, anyone paying attention was left asking, "Wha happened?"  Now we know wha did happen there, as it looks like the studio has opted to delay the film's release pretty significantly. 

Before Doug Liman's The Bourne Identity came about a decade ago, the idea of Matt Damon as an unstoppably badass amnesiac assassin was sort of laughable.  How times change.  After the Bourne franchise got bigger with two subsequent installments under director Paul Greengrass, Damon and the helmer opted not to return for a fourth go-around.  Looking to capitalize on the franchise even without the central figures, Universal Pictures has gone ahead with The Bourne Legacy, which does not, in fact, feature Jason Bourne.

Instead, Jeremy Renner is taking over as a new, Bournesque character who goes by the name Aaron Cross.  As part of the end of the week image-palooza, we now have our first official look at Cross in The Bourne Legacy.  How does he look?  Almost exactly like you'd expect.  The one-time star of National Lampoon's Senior Trip* is mean-mugging with the conviction of a two-time Oscar nominee, and he's wearing a pretty cool jacket too.

Obviously, The Avengers brings together Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Incredible Hulk, but what malevolent force could possibly prompt the familiar heroes to venture from their disparate franchises for an ensemble superhero throwdown?  Marvel Studios has played it cool regarding the villains in writer-director Joss Whedon's big team-up, with only Tom Hiddleston confirmed as Thor's brother Loki.  Mischievous though he may be, Loki can't be the only baddie, and in the absence of official word from Marvel, rumors as to additional villains have run rampant.  Now, there may be some support for one such rumor, but be warned, if its true, this is most definitely a SPOILER.  I repeat, if this rumor ends up being valid, then from here on out, we're going deep into SPOILER country.

As even the most inattentive schoolchild is aware, America's top three exports are big Hollywood movies, brightly-costumed superheroes, and dopeness.  A new international trailer for The Avengers contains at least two of these three exports, as the superhero team-up from Marvel Studios and director Joss Whedon is a huge Hollywood movie containing many a superhero.  Scientists are meticulously researching the new Russian trailer, especially the new footage it showcases, to determine the exact degree to which it is empirically dope, but as of this posting, the nation's foremost minds on freshness have yet to reach any solid conclusions.

Joss Whedon wrote the screenplay for The Avengers, so we know damn well that anytime two or more characters are talking, Marvel's ginormous ensemble is going to click like clockwork.  Whedon has proven time and again that he can write endlessly playful dialogue, but Marvel and Disney can't exactly sell The Avengers as the superhero movie to end all superhero movies based principally on its dialogue; appealing to a broad audience is about action, right?  That's why two new official stills from the film show members of Marvel's premier superteam getting their action on with aplomb.  The first features the most cinematically well-established hero of the bunch, Iron Man, tooting around over the streets of Manhattan, while the second has Chris Evans as Captain America and Chris Hemsworth as Thor doing what they do.