A still from Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer 3
When Thor says "Is that the best you can do?" in the just-released third trailer of Avengers: Age of Ultron, he might have been asking not the villain Ultron but creator Marvel Studios. Almost immediately, there is a blitz of computer wizardry, an SFX-created army that pours out from the ruins of buildings, scrambling over flaming cars and down a street littered with the debris of battle. It's quite breathtaking, as is much of the trailer.
As The Avengers assemble and share moments of friction and passion, a major chunk of the footage is dedicated to the James Spader-voiced Ultron, an artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark/Iron Man and now running amok seeking world domination. He is particularly anti-Avengers, declaring, "There is only one path to peace: Their extinction."
The trailer also provides a better look at the new recruits in the film - twins Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, played by Kick Ass star Aaron Johnson and third Olsen sister Elizabeth.
The Avengers return with more of the same from the 2012 blockbuster. Black Widow gets the best line when she says, as she races past on a motorbike and collects Captain America's discarded shield, "I'm always picking up after you boys."
Most of the cast of previous Avengers-related films reprise their roles - Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Scarlet Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury, and Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill. Also returning are Paul Bettany as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S plus the additional role of Ultron-created android Vision, Don Cheadle as Col James Rhodes/War Machine, Stellan Skarsgaad as Erik Selvig, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Idris Elba as Heimdall and Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter.
Andy Serkis is cast as the supervillain Ulysses Klaw and Avengers creator Stan Lee makes a cameo appearance, the nature of which has not been revealed. Not appearing is Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.
Avengers: Age of Ultron is written and directed by Joss Whedon, and releases in May.
Watch the third trailer: