The rumors, it seems, are true.  At this point, Marvel Studios plans to include Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver – mutants both – in The Avengers 2.

Says who?  No less a source than writer-director Joss Whedon, who offered up a bit of insight on the pair of characters and their role in the sequel's story.  Oh, and Whedon, for one, is a whole lot less concerned about the cinematic future of Tony Stark than many, many fans.

Welcome to Level 7.

In early November, there will be a week where you can see Thor: The Dark World in theaters on Friday, then catch the first Marvel Studios first live-action television series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the following Tuesday night on ABC.  Now, thanks to an extended trailer for the series clocking in at just under three minutes, you can get a much better idea of just what you'll be watching on Tuesdays starting this fall.

Pop quiz, hotshot.  What's better than seven seconds of first look footage from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the upcoming ABC series that will take the phenomenally successful Marvel Studios universe to network televsion?

The answer is, of course, thirty-seconds of footage from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

And that's exactly what we have for you today, by way of a TV spot.

Let's get this out of the way:  This constitutes SPOILERS for anyone who has yet to see Iron Man 3.  So if you're still holding off on seeing the latest Marvel Studios release – all of the latest Marvel Studios release – then bookmark this and return once you've thrilled to the third Iron Man solo adventure.

Of all the headlining superheroes in last summer's The Avengers, the one who made the biggest impression was smashing, brawling Hulk and his human alter ego, the always-angry Dr. Bruce Banner, played by Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo.  While Phase Two in the Marvel Studios master plan includes sequels for Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, everyone's favorite green rage monster has a less obvious onscreen future.

In an exclusive discussion with IAR, Mark Ruffalo himself has offered some insight on what's in store for Bruce Banner and his other, more destructive half.

There was never any real doubt that ABC wouldn't take Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from pilot to series.  It is, after all, directly related to the third-biggest movie of all time and a series of cross-pollinating franchises that have become a legitimate pop culture phenomenon the world over.

So though it was never in doubt, it's still nice to hear that ABC is indeed planning to have Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a part of its schedule this Fall.  Not only that, but the network is airing a sneak peak of material from the pilot this Sunday during the season finale of Once Upon a Time.

Not only that, but right now we have the first official look at the series' slick logo, as well as a shiny lineup of the principal cast in character.

What 11-year old kid wouldn’t want to be Iron Man’s best friend? For actor Ty Simpkins, that dream has come true.

Simpkins (Insidious) is currently starring opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 3, which is the third installment of the popular Marvel Studios franchise. In its opening weekend the film earned over $175 million in the US alone, and has grossed $700 million worldwide so far! In the movie, Simpkins plays Harley Keener, a troubled young boy living with his mother, who must work all hours since his father left them. After a beaten Tony Stark (Downey) crash lands in his town, Harley becomes his sidekick and helps him repair the Iron Man suit and track down the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). 

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking with 11-year old actor Ty Simpkins about his role in Iron Man 3 on the Disney lot in Burbank, California. The young actor discussed appearing in the movie, how he got the role, his character, working with Robert Downey Jr., director Shane Black, being an Iron Man fan, if Harley could become the new Iron Man in The Avengers 2 or Iron Man 4, and if there are any Harley toys or merchandise available. 

Short version:  Iron Man 3 made a lot of money this weekend.  A lot.  In fact, the only movie that's ever made more in its domestic opening was The Avengers.

Phase 2 properly kicks off Stateside tomorrow with the release of Iron Man 3, so that means it's time to start getting all lathered up about Thor: The Dark World, this year's other Marvel Studios sequel following an Avenger on his next solo adventure.

In order to ensure we remember what Chris Hemsworth looks like as Thor, Marvel has released a new image of the star in his redesigned Asgardian costume.

Writer and director Shane Black has an extremely distinctive style that is completely different from all other filmmakers and allows his movies to standout from all the rest. 

You ALWAYS know when you are watching a Shane Black movie and there are several common themes that run through most of the screenwriter-turned-director’s work. He often uses first-person narration to tell his stories, there is usually a male bonding element at the heart of the film, he has used kidnapping as a plot device five times, and four of his movies take place during the Christmas holiday. 

I grew up on Shane Black movies, and feel as a movie fan, that I have watched Black grow up as a filmmaker too. His first screenplay, Lethal Weapon, basically invented the buddy-cop genre, which dominated the ‘1980s. He would eventually go on to write the story for Lethal Weapon 2, as well as the screenplays for underrated classics like The Monster Squad, and The Last Boy Scout starring Bruce Willis. Black even took a stab at acting in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Predator, playing a member of Arnold’s elite commando crew. 

After penning Last Action Hero and The Long Kiss Goodnight, the screenwriter took almost a decade off before reinventing himself as a director in 2005 with the extremely inventive film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which helped begin to resurrect the career of Robert Downey Jr. Now Black returns to the director’s chair by taking over the Iron Man franchise from director Jon Favreau and reteaming with Downey for Iron Man 3, which opens in theaters on May 3rd. 

This Friday, May 3rd, Marvel Studios cuts the ribbon on Phase 2 with the nationwide release of Iron Man 3.

Hard to believe that it was just five years ago (almost to the day) that Tony Stark first declared "I am Iron Man."  That first film in this series marked the kick-off to Marvel's shared universe of cross-pollinating franchises, and last year's The Avengers represented the culmination of Phase 1.

When last we saw Stark, he was enjoying shawarma with his fellow superheroes after saving New York from alien invasion and nuclear devastation.  In Iron Man 3, though, Tony's been unmoored by his Avengers experience, obsessed with improving his armor to defend from the next inevitable threat.  When that threat arrives in the form of Iron Man's comic book archnemesis the Mandarin, it's worse than Tony could have imagined, and our hero must battle this unprecedented foe while also defending against a dangerous and powerful new technology.

Robert Downey Jr. reprises his starring role as genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark, joined once again by Gwyneth Paltrow as the love of his life Pepper Potts and Don Cheadle in his second turn as Tony's best friend/fellow superhero James "Rhodey" Rhodes.  These franchise fixtures star alongside new additions Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin and Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian, a fellow tech-titan with eyes on Pepper and plans for a new innovation called Extremis.

IAR Managing Editor Jami Philbrick was present at the Iron Man 3 press day in Los Angeles.  Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsley, and Guy Pearce were on hand to discuss the sequel's relationship to The Avengers, some big character arcs, bringing Mandarin to the screen, improvisation, suiting up as big-time superheroes, green screen, new director Shane Black, and Tony Stark's cinematic future.