By Marc Strom
This summer, the fate of the world lies in the hands of children. Thankfully, though, these kids happen to have some very powerful hands.
Set decades in the future, "Next Avengers," Marvel's next animated feature, focuses on the children of Earth's Mightiest Heroes as they learn to follow in their parents footsteps when Ultron returns to menace their world. This time around, not even Tony Stark—the man formerly known as Iron Man—can protect them...but can they band together in time to save the day?
For the kids, living up to their parents' legends hasn't crossed their minds much. "The kids know the story of the Avengers, but they know it as just that...a story," writer Chris Yost explains. "They know the tales of their parents' heroics, they know the names and the adventures, but for reasons you'll see in the movie, they aren't really thinking about the Avengers as something they'll have to live up to."
However, he adds, "That changes pretty quick."
And while the movie focuses on the next generation of heroes, will we see the classic Avengers in action at all? "It's definitely the kids' movie," Yost teases. "That being said...mmmaybe."
Yost's versatility as a writer, evidenced by both his work in animation ("Fantastic Four") and comics (X-FORCE), shines through in his first full-length screenplay. The writer says he tried to blend the more dramatic, adult aspects of his writing with the lighter elements.
"This is a fun adventure film, starring a really young cast of kids," Yost says. "But at the same time, the stakes are incredibly high, literally the survival of humanity. The situation is grim. And while all that seems like it could be a big bummer, we keep the kids so busy running for their lives that they don't have a lot of time to think about it."
Making the film accessible while still giving longtime Avengers fans enough to chew on might have caused others to stumble, but not Yost. "It's tricky, but I think we've done a good job. If you don't know anything about the Avengers, this movie still works, and works well. It's a fun, fast, action-packed adventure in the vein of 'Goonies' that introduces a new generation of viewers to a new generation of heroes.
"But!" he continues, "If you do know the classic characters, and do know the history, then there is a TON of stuff packed into the movie. Nothing distracting, nothing that will take people out of the moment, but there's going to be plenty of goodness for hardcore Avengers fans."
With all this to look forward to, the wait until "Next Avengers" hits shelves seems unfathomable…so to whet your appetite, check out the film's all-new preview below and stay glued to Marvel.com for the latest news and features throughout the coming months!
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