Marvel | 2010 | 137 mins. | TV-Y7
The second volume of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes hit stores the same day as the first. Volume 1 gave us the backstories of the key players, and culminated with the two-part episode establishing the union. Subtitled Captain America Reborn!, Volume 2 features six episodes with the Avengers combating threatening supervillains typically in two complementary storylines. With their origins detailed in the first seven episodes, the next six settle us into the dynamic, a bit like a larger, more eccentric, and less familial Fantastic Four, which Lee and Kirby created two years earlier.
As one would expect, each member of the team brings a particular skill to the table. Iron Man (a.k.a. Tony Stark), a billionaire who made his money manufacturing arms, supplies funding; the hammer throwing Thor a bit of Norse mythology; the Hulk, a reluctant member who harbors a lot of resentment, initially leaves the g roup but later returns to help. Lesser-known size-shifting scientists Wasp and Ant-Man, aren’t featured on the cover with the others but they are along for the ride.
As the subtitle indicates, World War II hero Captain America (a.k.a. Steve Rogers), is found in ice and returned to life, almost seventy years after being presumed dead. After some prodding he joins the team, which continues to hold some ambivalence towards Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D. law enforcement agency, from whose four prisons 74 supervillains have recently escaped. On the periphery, but not a full-fledged team member, is the arrow slinging Hawkeye.
As with Volume 1, The Avengers is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Both are just about flawless by DVD standards. The picture is clean and sharp, while the sound is crisp and engaging, putting you in the middle of all the action. Closed captioning and English SDH and Spanish subtitles are provided.
We get one special feature:
- Season 2 Sneaks: New Stories, New Threats: (6:00) Story editor Chris Yost and supervising producer Josh Fine discuss the show’s adaptation process, and how they choose stories. Much of the discussion involves future episodes, so it feels promotional in nature.
