Papa Vinyard here, now here's a little somethin' for ya...
If this rumor is true, then Marvel's letting some big news get out this week. After hearing that Paul Rudd is a lock for ANT-MAN yesterday, now we have word from El Mayimbe over at Latino Review that Ultron will not be the only central villain in THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. Mayimbe notes that there's a casting notice going around Hollywood looking for a middle aged white guy with a "physically imposing" stature, and claims that he has inside info that the role in question will be none other than HYDRA leader Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. More than that, Joss and the studio are eyeballing Martin Csokas (Celeborn in LORD OF THE RINGS) and Dougray Scott (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II, which cost him his role as Bryan Singer's Wolverine…lucky him, 'cause whatever happened to that guy who replaced him?) for the role.
If this is true, then my guess is that Strucker's presence will be a supporting role, and won't be quite as crucial a threat to our heroes as James Spader's Ultron; nothing against those two actors, but in terms of international popularity, they pale in comparison even to the newest Avengers, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen (whose respective Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch apparently work under Strucker, at least initially), let alone the likes of Spader, Hugo Weaving, Ben Kingsley, or, at this point, Tom Hiddleston.
Considering HYDRA has a significant role in the creation of the Winter Soldier, and how that film will directly lead up to AGE OF ULTRON, I suppose this isn't a huge stretch. HYDRA (and Strucker) may be the initial threat that Cap (and S.H.I.E.L.D.) are up against, before Ultron's creation necessitates reuniting the rest of the Avengers. I'm sure we'll know the level of truthiness to all of this sooner than later, but even if it turns out to be what's up, two villains hardly makes the kind of stuffed narrative that SPIDER-MAN 3 (and, possibly, ASM 2) turned out to be.
What do you guys think? Does the prospect of Baron Von Strucker plotting against S.H.I.E.L.D. somehow get you more excited for AGE OF ULTRON?
THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON begins on May 1st, 2015.
-Vincent Zahedi
”Papa Vinyard”
vincentzahedi@gmail.com
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