9 most disappointing Marvel movies, ranked
3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Before Avengers: Age of Ultron premiered, its director talked about how he was taking inspiration from The Godfather Part 2 to make a cohesive sequel that would, hopefully, be better than its predecessor. That was a huge statement to make, especially when considering The Godfather Part 2 is one of the greatest sequels ever made in cinema history. Since that was the bar that Earth’s Mightiest Hero’s reunion was set to surpass (and since the first Avengers movie was such an incredible success), it came as no surprise that many fans couldn’t wait to see the movie for themselves.
The very first trailer and footage for Avengers: Age of Ultron were shown exclusively to people who attended Marvel’s Presentation at San Diego Comic-Con back in 2014. However, none of that footage made its way online, meaning most fans had to resign to reading online reactions and descriptions of what was shown. Worst of all, everybody at San Diego Comic-Con seemed to love what Marvel presented. There was a lot of praise for the trailer’s darker tone, the terrifying portrayal of Ultron, and the chemistry between all the Avengers. All the positive reactions along with anticipation for the trailer made people incredibly excited about the movie.
Eventually, people couldn’t wait any longer, and the trailer leaked online for everyone to see. So did that first look live up to the huge amount of expectations? Well, I think it’s fair to say it even surpassed it. Everyone loved the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron and, for a moment, it seemed Marvel was about to pull off the impossible and make a sequel that would put in the dust the very first Avengers movie. Unfortunately, Thanos said it best: “Reality is often disappointing”.
Avengers: Age of Ultron isn’t terrible by any means. It contains thrilling action sequences, polished special effects, and plenty of enjoyable moments (such as the party where Earth’s Mightiest Heroes tried to lift Thor’s hammer). Unfortunately, those positives weren’t enough to make it surpass the success of its predecessor or live up to the insane amount of expectations people had. Besides, the movie was too crowded for its own good, and it had a lot of confusing moments that made it an uneven experience.
Ultimately, Avengers: Age of Ultron is without a doubt the worst Avengers big-screen project to date. It’s undeniable that any film where Earth’s Mightiest Heroes make an appearance will have sky-high expectations. However, we know it’s possible to live up to that amount of excitement as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame have proved. So, maybe there’s a reality where Age of Ultron blew everyone’s mind. However, it certainly wasn’t this one.