Review by C.J. Bunce
Three years after Marvel Cinematic Universe puppetmaster Kevin Feige and director Josh Whedon put the Marvel Comics superheroes The Avengers together on the big screen in its first live action team-up, they brought them back to tear them apart in the 2015 movie Avengers: Age of Ultron. One of many cautionary tales about the dangers of artificial intelligence that hits home even greater in 2025, the movie reunited Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner in what has become the biggest lineup since the X-Men. But it also introduced some of the MCU’s next phase’s key characters. How did it all come together? Find out in The Art of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Age of Ultron, available for pre-order now here at Amazon and coming to bookstores next month.
The Art of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Age of Ultron is the tenth of 24 books in a re-sized, re-issued MCU library coming from Titan Books. A great feature of the series is how each book doesn’t just re-hash the same information for each film, instead digging into what makes the movie unique among the 24 Marvel Infinity Saga movies. The key to this entry is costume design.
For this movie behind-the-scenes accounts include interviews with key players including director Joss Whedon, concept artists Ryan Meinerding, Andy Park, Bob Cheshire, and Charlie Wen, costume designer Alexandra Byrne, propmaster Barry Gibbs, and others, highlighting the concept paintings of the movie created under the direction of Meinerding.
The book first takes fans of the films back to the beginning in a “how did we get to this point?” section, revisiting each of the films in Phase 1 that came together in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Readers will find storyboards of key sequences, with attention to the final battle sequence.
Double-page spreads highlight the settings as seen in concept paintings, as well as action scenes contemplated in the film. Layouts include significant coverage of all the costumes designed for the film, as well as props like the Captain America’s modified shield, Hawkeye’s new bow and arrows, and the pieces of Ultron, the film’s villain.
The big additions not seen in this library before include Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver, with many early designs for their costumes, explained by Alexandra Byrne.
With this tenth of 24 volumes in the re-sized, re-issued MCU library coming from Titan Books, we’re tracking a behind the scenes look-back a decade in the making of each film in the Infinity Saga. Check out our review of Captain America: The First Avenger–The Art of the Movie, here, our review of The Art of Marvel Studios’ The Avengers here, The Art of Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 here, The Art of Marvel Studios’ Thor: The Dark World here), The Art of Captain America and the Winter Soldier here, and The Art of Guardians of the Galaxy here.
For every fan of the Marvel Infinity Saga, don’t miss The Art of Avengers: Age of Ultron, available for pre-order now here at Amazon, expected in stores March 25, 2025. Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Age of Ultron is streaming on Disney+.
