For Wednesday, November 20, please do the following:
(1) Watch — via streaming service, reserved DVD, or your own copy — The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), the second film in our superhero team-up series. As you watch, take notes on anything that strikes you as resonating with Greco-Roman myth, especially on the What? Why? and How? spectrum of ideas. Your notes will form the basis for our discussion of the film in class.
(2) Print out and read "Myth," chapter 2 of Blair Davis' Comic Book Movies (2018), which is part of the Rutgers Quick Takes series on films and popular culture. Take notes on interesting comments and insights, and be sure to bring your print-out to class.
(3) The following students must use the blog comments feature to recommend 3–5 minute sequences from Age of Ultron for close review in class: Hoffman, Kelly, Lin, Lising. In your comments, please
- briefly describe the sequence;
- give approximate starting and ending times (hh:mm); and
- explain why reviewing this sequence is worth our time as it pertains to a mythical considerations of the MCU.
DC
Hi! This is Aries and the section of Age of Ultron I chose to focus on is: 1:58:15 - 2:00:42. Within this sequence, a lot of things are happening, but the primary focal point is divine intervention, as it is very prevalent throughout Greek mythology. The main event is the death of the character Quicksilver. Before all of this happens, Iron Man speak to his fellow heroes and simply says that, "You know, if this works, we may not walk away." This signifies the consequences and possible outcomes that come with being a hero of that stature. Next, is a scene where Hawkeye is finally able to relax and unwind, but he is abruptly faced with a decision, to be a hero once more to save someone, or to sit back and accept the accomplishments he has already gained. Much like Achilles, in Honer's Iliad, Hawkeye heads back into the fray, not knowing whether or not he will make it back. As he rescues this trapped kid, Ultron drives by, shooting at everything he sees. Within this interval, the bullets are seen crossing the paths of Captain America and Thor, but they are much less of a focus, perhaps noting how, since they hold a far more powerful presence on the team and within the cinema, that the possibility of them dying is unlikely. When we get to Hawkeye, he heroically shields the kid and is ready to accept his fate. Out of nowhere, Quicksilver moves them out of harms way, however, pays this price with his life. Through this, the audience gets major insight on divine intervention, or lack thereof, within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
ReplyDelete—Jacob K—
ReplyDeleteThe section of Avengers: Age of Ultron that I focused on is 00:44:41-00:46:05. In this sequence, Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) makes the mistake of referring to Ultron as "One of [Stark's]". Ultron immediately retaliates, grabbing Ulysses, dictating that he isn't one of Stark's "puppets", and dismembering him. This sequence is relevant to Greek mythology for the father-son relationship implied between Stark and Ultron; Ultron resents any comparison between him and Stark. Later, comically, Tony even refers to Ultron as "junior". Ultron's resentment leads to the subsequent battle between him and Tony. The idea of father/son feuds are similarly prevalent in Greek myth, particularly in the cosmogonic events involving Uranus, Kronos, and Zeus. This dynamic involves the process of succession—a process that Ultron states is inevitable for humans in order to evolve. Additionally, Ultron displays a very human-like quality when he cuts off Ulysses' arm, as if unaware of his own strength; similar to Gods in Greek myth, Ultron—certainly a God-like character—shows signs of humanity in his ability to recognize human suffering and react accordingly. Finally, this idea of succession is returned to later in the film when Vision destroys the last body of Ultron. In a manner, the relationship between Uranus, Kronos, and Zeus is played out between Stark, Ultron, and Vision respectively.