We’re less than a month away from The Avengers premiere, and I really am excited. Is it another superhero movie? Yes. Is it yet another big blockbuster with explosions and fighting? Yes. But it has characters from previous movies I’ve liked, all helmed by a director known for his strong female characters and focus on witty dialogue and complex relationships. So yes, I am excited. What’s gotten me more excited is a couple different scenes released to tease the premiere. The first clip we’ve already seen a little of in the various trailers and commercials, but the whole scene is quite a treat in itself.

What strikes me about this clip is how calm Tony is on the surface while psyching up a Norse demigod. Does this huge source of corrupted power phase our alcoholic humanitarian with a supersuit? Heck no. Stark just reminds Loki that he has pissed off all of his enemies, who happen to have very specific individualized skills that can be very inconvenient for the god of mischief if they reach their full potential as a team. The one thing you can say about Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark is he knows when he needs to be calm as a cucumber … in this moment, it’s dire for Stark to bluff his hand and make sure Loki is shaken about his chances against the Avengers. Even his nonchalant lampshading of the team’s rather silly name is to take Loki off his game. There’s a lot going on in this scene between the lines and Whedon’s subtle character direction is the perfect pairing.

Obviously the other scene is of Black Widow getting a phone call. Oh, those women and their phone charges … yak-yak-yak, am I right? No, this is another great scene with the classic Whedon touch. Of course Black Widow is in total control of the situation. Of course her interrogators look confused when she mocks their total lack of competence. The real question is why in the world would they give her the phone? Oh right, complete lack of competence. My CartoonClack readers might have noticed that I kind of love Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson, so I did a little cheer when I saw he was a part of this clip. Yes, I knew he was in the movie either way, but I still cheered. In case you were wondering, the agent they were talking about being in trouble is in fact Hawkeye. Her reaction and immediate change of plans does support the theory that Black Widow and Hawkeye are going to be love interests in the movie. If anything, I’m guessing they’re close.

So yes, I’m still excited for The Avengers, even moreso now. It opens nationwide May 4th.