The two-hour season premiere of "Lost" got everyone's timeline senses tingling, but it only took "Iron Man 2" director Jon Favreau one word to clarify fans' understanding of Marvel movie continuity.

When asked via Twitter where (or rather, when) "Iron Man 2" falls in relation to 2008's "Incredible Hulk," Favreau said the upcoming sequel actually falls "before" Edward Norton's adventure as the green goliath.

Of course, this seems to make perfect sense, given what we know of "Iron Man 2" and the final scene of "Incredible Hulk," in which Tony Stark approaches General Ross in a bar to talk with him about his "unusual problem." Read more...

The hotly anticipated "Iron Man 2" may only be three months away from theaters, but Robert Downey Jr. is already looking ahead to "The Avengers" as a culmination of the first four years of movies from Marvel Studios.

"It's the pinnacle, but only if it's done in the smartest and best and most creatively sound way possible," Downey told SFX Magazine, (via ComicBookMovie.com).

"And I'm not saying we can't get there. I'm just saying it would be better to get there and not stay on schedule than to get everyone what they were hoping for in terms of a release date but not do it correctly. And by correctly, I mean my way," laughed Downey. Read more...

Although Kevin Feige recently confirmed that the Hulk is in "The Avengers," there's still no official word regarding Edward Norton's involvement in the film.

While "Incredible Hulk" director Louis Leterrier thinks that the actor's return is possible, it's still worth wondering who could replace Norton as Bruce Banner should the need arise. It would be nice to find a performer that looks and acts like Norton to maintain continuity from Banner's most recent appearance, but I think that it's even more important for a potential replacement to put his own unique stamp on the character.

If Norton decides not to participate in "The Avengers," here are five actors that could easily transform into Bruce Banner in his place. Read more...

It's hardly a secret that Captain America, Iron Man and Thor will make up the core trio in "The Avengers," but is there room for the Hulk in Marvel's 2012 superhero team-up?

In an interview with SFX Magazine (posted by SuperHeroHype), Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige let the big, mean, green cat out of the bag, saying that the Hulk will indeed be a part of "The Avengers."

"It's three people — four including the Hulk; five including Nick Fury — who you've seen before in other movies, coming together for the first time," Feige explained of the roster for "The Avengers." Read more...

"Clash of the Titans" director Louis Leterrier is probably best known to comics fans for his 2008 take on Marvel's green goliath, "The Incredible Hulk." Starring Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, the film was well-received by fans and critics alike — due in no small part to the presence of several shout-outs to the wider Marvel movie continuity.

So the question now becomes, will Hulk find his way into the "Avengers" movie? And if so, will he be a villain, as "Iron Man" writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby hinted to MTV News way back in October 2008?

We posed that very question to Leterrier himself during our recent "10 For 2010" interview, which named him one of the filmmakers to watch this year. Read more...

It's the understatement of the year to say that reactions were mixed when I posted a story last week wondering aloud about "Avatar" star Sam Worthington's choice of clothing during MTV's live "Avatar" Q&A event. The actor, who starred in the recent "Terminator: Salvation" and will play Perseus in the upcoming "Clash of the Titans" remake, was seen wearing an "Avengers" shirt — so with tongue firmly planted in cheek, I asked whether it could be possible Worthington was campaigning for a role in "The Avengers" or "Captain America" movies.

The response was, to put it mildly, pretty polarizing. Some sites seemed to get the joke and play along, others took the post a little too seriously — but in the end, it certainly kicked off discussion of whether the Australian actor could (or should) play one of Marvel's heroes.

Cue the recent "Avatar" junket, and Worthington's arrival at the interview wearing a Captain America t-shirt...

"I'm a fan, mate. That's what it really is," laughed Worthington when asked about the shirt. Read more...

Well, apparently it wasn't Robert Downey Jr. who called Sherlock Holmes a superhero — but that doesn't mean the comparison isn't an apt one. When we sat down to chat with the actor and his "Sherlock Holmes" co-star Jude Law during a recent press event, we had to ask him about another little project on his radar these days: "Iron Man 2."

While Downey was remarkably tight-lipped about the future of the "Iron Man" franchise (and his potential involvement in "The Avengers"), we did manage to forge a comic book connection between the two actors when the topic turned to Law's sealed-in-ink comics cred.

"Oh, it's going to be great," said Downey of "Iron Man 2," only to remark that a widely disseminated quote in which he compares Sherlock Holmes to a superhero didn't actually come from him. However, Law said he might want to take credit for the quote anyways. Read more...

Today's live "Avatar" Q&A with director James Cameron and stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana is over, but for those who made sure to check it out (and if you didn't, don't worry — we'll have it on the site soon) you might have noticed something with an interesting comics angle popping up throughout the show.

Check out Worthington's shirt:

Yes, that's a t-shirt featuring Earth's Mightiest Heroes, The Avengers, being sported by the "Avatar" actor. Read more...

Unless actor Jeremy Renner is getting his information from a parallel universe, it's sounding likely that Hawkeye has a role in Marvel's upcoming movie slate. Still, even Renner is quick to admit that while he's discussed the role with Marvel, he's not a lock for the part.

Assuming the role exists and is still available, it's worth wondering what type of actor would be best-suited for Clint Barton. I don't think the part requires an action hero body, though an athletic physique is a must. Barton also has to be equal parts charming and arrogant without sacrificing his heroic qualities — and he's got to be awesome with a bow and arrow, but that's where pre-production training comes in!

Keeping those prerequisites in mind, I think the following five actors would be right on the mark for Hawkeye.

Read more...

Actor Jeremy Renner set the online world buzzing this week by mentioning the possibility that he might play Hawkeye, the Avengers' marksman, in both the "Thor" and "Avengers" movies.

When we caught up with Renner on the red carpet for the Independent Film Gotham Awards (where his recent film "The Hurt Locker" received awards for Best Ensemble Performance and Best Feature), the actor offered some clarification of his previous comments regarding Hawkeye, "Thor" and "Avengers" — and why the character of Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, appealed to him.

"The Marvel guys are really smart. They're reall cool," Renner told MTV News. "My buddy Zak Penn is writing 'Avengers,' but that's not for years away. The only reason this even came up is because they're thinking about a little cameo of [Clint] as Hawkeye in there. It's the only reason why I talked to those guys about it." Read more...