Joss Whedon Talks 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron'; Aaron Taylor-Johnson Met for Quicksilver Role

Joss Whedon shocked everybody when he revealed the Avengers sequel would be titled The Avengers: Age of Ultron, meaning the team's longtime robotic nemesis would be the primary villain. The ending of the first film led many of us to believe it would be Thanos, and it seemed like a natural fit considering Marvel's Phase Two is branching out into intergalactic tales with Guardians of the Galaxy. But Ultron comes with a complicated history, and certainly wasn't the most likely of choices, which may be why Whedon has been more open than usual in talking about the decision.

While talking to Total Film, Whedon discusses why he picked Ultron for the bad guy role, revealing that it was a decision he had been considering for a long time....

Whedon: “I was pitching Ultron before I took the job on the first movie. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this, but for the second one, you should totally do Ultron.’ Because he’s been a thorn in their side as much as any other character over the years and particularly back in my history."

Ultron is a sentient android with superhuman strength, speed, agility, and he's practically invulnerable because his armor is comprised mostly of Adamantium, the indestructible metal that makes up Wolverine's bones. It sounds like all of those factors played a part in Whedon's decision, as he needed a singular foe who could give the team a run for their money....

Whedon: “He was great. He’s somebody who can juice things up and he’s a real problem for the Avengers. That’s not always easy to find. It’s not like the Vulture is really going to give them a hard time for 20 minutes.”

It may not just be Ultron giving the Avengers fits in the sequel, though, as they will probably be facing even more internal strife. The mutants Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are set to play a major role in the film, this despite their also being a part of Bryan Singer's X-men: Days of Future Past.  Whatever headaches that may cause in the future between Fox and Marvel, rumors have already as to who Whedon is eying for both roles. Saoirse Ronan has been mentioned for Scarlet Witch, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's name has frequently come up for Quicksilver, aka Pietro Maximoff. While doing press for Kick-Ass 2, Johnson let slip that he's already met with Marvel about the role....

Johnson: “I feel really flattered and honored that they came to me for that role. I think he’s an interesting character and we’re just gonna keep going into that. I sat down with Joss, I think he’s awesome, I sat down with the guys at Marvel and they’re also great; I think it’d be interesting."

Clearly he's put a little thought into how the character could work emotionally, as he goes into some depth to MTV on Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch's troubled upbringing, abandoned as children in Eastern Europe. Marvel can't mention their father, the mutant master of magnetism, Magneto, so they'll have to do some origin tinkering. You can check out all of Johnson's comments in the below video. The Avengers: Age of Ultron is expected to open on May 1st 2015.

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