LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A second unidentified masseur has joined a $2 million lawsuit against John Travolta claiming the actor sexually assaulted the men in two separate incidents during private massages, according to amended court documents filed on Tuesday.
The second unnamed man, a resident of Georgia referred to as John Doe No. 2 in court papers obtained by Reuters, claimed that Travolta rubbed his legs, touched his genitals and tried to initiate sex at a private appointment at the actor's room inside an Atlanta hotel on January 28.
The allegations echo those of John Doe No. 1, a resident of Texas, who filed the initial complaint late last week and accused Travolta of sexually assaulting him during a private massage at the Beverly Hills Hotel on January 16.
'This second 'anonymous' claim is just as absurd and ridiculous as the first one,' said attorney Martin Singer, who represents the Hollywood actor.
'Our client will be fully vindicated in court on both of these absurd and fictional claims.'
Travolta's spokesman has called the lawsuit 'complete fiction and fabrication.'
The plaintiff's attorney, Pasadena, California-based Okorie Okorocha, told Reuters that since the initial complaint was filed last week, he has had many more potential victims come forward with similar complaints.
'I will file for every single victim. Mr. Travolta has been able to evade justice, and he's going to challenge it with me. but I'm not afraid ... I'll stand up to him,' said Okorocha.
He said that the men did not go to the police because they did not think the police would believe them.
Travolta, 58, rose to fame in the 1970s on the television sitcom 'Welcome Back Kotter,' then became a movie star with hits such as 'Saturday Night Fever,' 'Grease,' and later, 'Pulp Fiction.' He has been nominated for two Academy Awards and has been married to wife Kelly Preston since 1991.
(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Mohammad Zargham)
This article is brought to you by DATE.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Emma Stone, Chris Hemsworth among MTV Movie Awards presenters
(repeats for wider audience, story unchanged)
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - 'Spider-Man' co-stars, and real-life couple Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield are among the celebs MTV has announced as presenters for the upcoming 2012 MTV Movie Awards on June 3.
Joining the couple in handing out the popcorn trophies to their fellow actors and actresses: Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Mark Wahlberg, Chris Hemsworth, Mila Kunis and Michael Fassbender.
'Bridesmaids' and 'The Hunger Games' lead all contenders for the 21st annual MTV Movie Awards with eight nominations each.
Six performers - Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Josh Hutcherson - lead the individual competition with four nominations each.
The show, which will air live on MTV from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, is once again allowing fans to choose the Movie of the Year winner, with voting open at MTV.com and continuing through the broadcast on June 3.
This article is brought to you by SICK DAYS CALENDAR.
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - 'Spider-Man' co-stars, and real-life couple Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield are among the celebs MTV has announced as presenters for the upcoming 2012 MTV Movie Awards on June 3.
Joining the couple in handing out the popcorn trophies to their fellow actors and actresses: Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Mark Wahlberg, Chris Hemsworth, Mila Kunis and Michael Fassbender.
'Bridesmaids' and 'The Hunger Games' lead all contenders for the 21st annual MTV Movie Awards with eight nominations each.
Six performers - Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Josh Hutcherson - lead the individual competition with four nominations each.
The show, which will air live on MTV from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, is once again allowing fans to choose the Movie of the Year winner, with voting open at MTV.com and continuing through the broadcast on June 3.
This article is brought to you by SICK DAYS CALENDAR.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Jury begins deliberations in Jennifer Hudson family killings
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Not a single fingerprint or scrap of DNA was found to prove who murdered three family members of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson in 2008, but prosecutors said there was overwhelming circumstantial evidence to convict her jealous brother-in-law as the jury began deliberations on Wednesday.
Hudson, her head bowed at times when graphic photographs were shown to the jury, sat with family members in the Chicago courtroom.
The defense attorney for accused killer William Balfour poked holes in the prosecution's mostly circumstantial case in her final statement and accused the police of concocting evidence to convict her client.
'They were trying to convict a pre-chosen defendant,' defense attorney Amy Thompson told the Cook County Criminal Court jury in her closing statement following two weeks of testimony.
The jury deliberated for five hours Wednesday night without a verdict, and were sequestered by Cook County Judge Charles Burns. Deliberations resume Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. local time.
Balfour, 30, a sometime drug dealer married to Hudson's sister Julia, is on trial for shooting to death Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson, 57, her brother Jason Hudson, 29, and her nephew Julian King, 7.
Balfour's lawyer said police fixated on Balfour, while the real killer was an unknown enemy of Hudson's drug-dealing brother, Jason Hudson, whose body was found in his bed, shot twice in the head while he slept.
Donerson, armed with a broom, was shot three times, and Julian was killed in the back seat of Jason Hudson's sports utility vehicle. His body was not discovered until three days later in the vehicle, which had been abandoned.
Jennifer Hudson had testified on the first day of the trial that she had never liked Balfour, and begged her sister not to marry him.
She flew back to Chicago on October 24, 2008, after learning that her mother and brother were dead in the South Side home they had shared, and her nephew was missing. She ultimately identified all three of their bodies.
Jennifer Hudson burst on the music scene in 2004 when she performed on the television singing contest 'American Idol.' She subsequently won a Grammy for her debut album, and an Academy Award for her supporting role in the movie 'Dreamgirls.'
PROSECUTOR PAINTS JEALOUS STALKER
Hudson hung her head or buried it in her fiancé David Otunga's shoulder when prosecutor Jennifer Bagby showed gruesome photographs of the victims.
Balfour, Bagby said, was obsessed with his estranged wife, Julia, stalking her and consumed with jealousy, though he had several other girlfriends and the couple still occasionally had sex.
The night before the murders, prosecutors said, Balfour sent her text messages while in bed with one of his girlfriends, then went to the Hudson family home in Chicago's tough Englewood neighborhood to try to catch her with her new lover.
Using cell phone records and witness accounts, prosecutors painstakingly traced Balfour's whereabouts for the jury and how he enlisted friends to help him create an alibi. Balfour even went so far as to be purposely videotaped at a gas station, they said.
Prosecutors pointed to Julia Hudson's testimony that Balfour had frequently issued threats, saying he would kill her family first, then her. She had been angry with him the morning of the murders, blaming him for having her wages as a bus driver garnished.
Balfour changed his clothes three times the day of the murders, and avoided telling Julia Hudson where he was when she called after the bodies were found, prosecutors said. He had turned off his cellphone for four hours, giving him time to get rid of evidence and wipe down the discarded gun and stolen SUV, they said.
'If you're innocent, you get back to your wife. You man up,' prosecutor James McKay said, gnashing his teeth in anger. 'A child is missing.'
'A guy who changed his clothes three times, do you really expect him to leave fingerprints? To leave DNA?' McKay said.
(Reporting by Andrew Stern; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
This article is brought to you by COMPUTERS.
Hudson, her head bowed at times when graphic photographs were shown to the jury, sat with family members in the Chicago courtroom.
The defense attorney for accused killer William Balfour poked holes in the prosecution's mostly circumstantial case in her final statement and accused the police of concocting evidence to convict her client.
'They were trying to convict a pre-chosen defendant,' defense attorney Amy Thompson told the Cook County Criminal Court jury in her closing statement following two weeks of testimony.
The jury deliberated for five hours Wednesday night without a verdict, and were sequestered by Cook County Judge Charles Burns. Deliberations resume Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. local time.
Balfour, 30, a sometime drug dealer married to Hudson's sister Julia, is on trial for shooting to death Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson, 57, her brother Jason Hudson, 29, and her nephew Julian King, 7.
Balfour's lawyer said police fixated on Balfour, while the real killer was an unknown enemy of Hudson's drug-dealing brother, Jason Hudson, whose body was found in his bed, shot twice in the head while he slept.
Donerson, armed with a broom, was shot three times, and Julian was killed in the back seat of Jason Hudson's sports utility vehicle. His body was not discovered until three days later in the vehicle, which had been abandoned.
Jennifer Hudson had testified on the first day of the trial that she had never liked Balfour, and begged her sister not to marry him.
She flew back to Chicago on October 24, 2008, after learning that her mother and brother were dead in the South Side home they had shared, and her nephew was missing. She ultimately identified all three of their bodies.
Jennifer Hudson burst on the music scene in 2004 when she performed on the television singing contest 'American Idol.' She subsequently won a Grammy for her debut album, and an Academy Award for her supporting role in the movie 'Dreamgirls.'
PROSECUTOR PAINTS JEALOUS STALKER
Hudson hung her head or buried it in her fiancé David Otunga's shoulder when prosecutor Jennifer Bagby showed gruesome photographs of the victims.
Balfour, Bagby said, was obsessed with his estranged wife, Julia, stalking her and consumed with jealousy, though he had several other girlfriends and the couple still occasionally had sex.
The night before the murders, prosecutors said, Balfour sent her text messages while in bed with one of his girlfriends, then went to the Hudson family home in Chicago's tough Englewood neighborhood to try to catch her with her new lover.
Using cell phone records and witness accounts, prosecutors painstakingly traced Balfour's whereabouts for the jury and how he enlisted friends to help him create an alibi. Balfour even went so far as to be purposely videotaped at a gas station, they said.
Prosecutors pointed to Julia Hudson's testimony that Balfour had frequently issued threats, saying he would kill her family first, then her. She had been angry with him the morning of the murders, blaming him for having her wages as a bus driver garnished.
Balfour changed his clothes three times the day of the murders, and avoided telling Julia Hudson where he was when she called after the bodies were found, prosecutors said. He had turned off his cellphone for four hours, giving him time to get rid of evidence and wipe down the discarded gun and stolen SUV, they said.
'If you're innocent, you get back to your wife. You man up,' prosecutor James McKay said, gnashing his teeth in anger. 'A child is missing.'
'A guy who changed his clothes three times, do you really expect him to leave fingerprints? To leave DNA?' McKay said.
(Reporting by Andrew Stern; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
This article is brought to you by COMPUTERS.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
"Avengers" to return to big screen in sequel
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The runaway success of 'The Avengers' movie landed the crime-fighting Marvel superhero team a return date to theaters.
Hot off the movie's record-setting debut, Walt Disney Co said on Tuesday an 'Avengers' sequel is in the works, though no release date is set.
The movie debuted with a staggering $207.4 million from U.S. and Canadian theaters over the weekend, the biggest debut in film history. Globally, the film has pulled in $702.2 million.
The film unites Marvel superheroes including Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor and The Hulk in a battle against a villain out to destroy the Earth. Stars include Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson.
The second 'Avengers' movie will follow a previously announced 'Thor' and 'Iron Man' sequels coming in 2013 and a new 'Captain America' movie in 2014, Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger told industry analysts.
'Eventually, (on) a date to be determined, you'll see a sequel to 'Avengers,'' Iger said.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Bernard Orr and Bob Tourtellotte)
Hot off the movie's record-setting debut, Walt Disney Co said on Tuesday an 'Avengers' sequel is in the works, though no release date is set.
The movie debuted with a staggering $207.4 million from U.S. and Canadian theaters over the weekend, the biggest debut in film history. Globally, the film has pulled in $702.2 million.
The film unites Marvel superheroes including Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor and The Hulk in a battle against a villain out to destroy the Earth. Stars include Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson.
The second 'Avengers' movie will follow a previously announced 'Thor' and 'Iron Man' sequels coming in 2013 and a new 'Captain America' movie in 2014, Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger told industry analysts.
'Eventually, (on) a date to be determined, you'll see a sequel to 'Avengers,'' Iger said.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Bernard Orr and Bob Tourtellotte)
Monday, May 7, 2012
Disney's "The Avengers" a winner for Paramount too: source
(Reuters) - Walt Disney's blockbuster 'The Avengers' has five superheroes and record ticket sales. It also has a silent partner in Viacom's Paramount Pictures, which stands to get a healthy payday even though the studio didn't spend a cent to produce or market the film.
Paramount already collected $57.5 million in April, when the film was released internationally. And it stands to collect 8 percent of the millions that the film will earn in theaters, on DVD, and when it is watched on the Internet, according to two people with knowledge of the deal.
Under a 2005 distribution agreement between Paramount and Marvel, Paramount receives a distribution fee for the theatrical distribution of 'The Avengers' as well as its distribution of its home video, Internet and TV rights. That agreement transferred to Disney, when Disney acquired Marvel for $4 billion in 2009.
Disney and Paramount agreed in 2010 to amend that agreement, giving Disney the rights to distribute Marvel-produced 'The Avengers' and 'Iron Man 3,' the second sequel to the 2008 film that Paramount distributes. That agreement stipulated that Disney would pay Paramount a $115 million advance against future fees that Paramount would have earned.
Half of that fee was paid when Disney released 'The Avengers' in international markets.
Spokesmen for Disney and Paramount would not comment.
Paramount does not have rights to merchandise from the Marvel movies, and Iger told investors after the deal closed that he signed the getting the movie rights allows he to rev up Disney's marketing machine.
'Not only will we distribute it and market it, but we know that Marvel is working really hard with the cooperation of a number of entities at Disney to turn The Avengers into a true franchise,' he said on the earnings call.
Studios and theater owners generally split ticket sales 50-50, meaning that Disney has collected $320.9 million based on 'The Avengers' $641.8 million in worldwide ticket sales. Paramount's $25.7 million take would be applied against the pre-paid fee from Disney.
The two sides also agreed that 'The Avengers' would appear on the Epix online and premium TV service that Paramount owns with Lions Gate Entertainment and the MGM studio. That's a big boost for the nearly three-year-old channel. Disney is obligated to show most of its movies on the Starz pay channel.
How large Paramount's take will be depends on how big a hit 'The Avengers' becomes. The deal gets even better for Paramount in 2013, when Disney is scheduled to release the third Iron Man. Paramount will get 9 percent of the money that film will generate.
(Reporting By Ronald Grover; Editing by Eric Walsh)
Paramount already collected $57.5 million in April, when the film was released internationally. And it stands to collect 8 percent of the millions that the film will earn in theaters, on DVD, and when it is watched on the Internet, according to two people with knowledge of the deal.
Under a 2005 distribution agreement between Paramount and Marvel, Paramount receives a distribution fee for the theatrical distribution of 'The Avengers' as well as its distribution of its home video, Internet and TV rights. That agreement transferred to Disney, when Disney acquired Marvel for $4 billion in 2009.
Disney and Paramount agreed in 2010 to amend that agreement, giving Disney the rights to distribute Marvel-produced 'The Avengers' and 'Iron Man 3,' the second sequel to the 2008 film that Paramount distributes. That agreement stipulated that Disney would pay Paramount a $115 million advance against future fees that Paramount would have earned.
Half of that fee was paid when Disney released 'The Avengers' in international markets.
Spokesmen for Disney and Paramount would not comment.
Paramount does not have rights to merchandise from the Marvel movies, and Iger told investors after the deal closed that he signed the getting the movie rights allows he to rev up Disney's marketing machine.
'Not only will we distribute it and market it, but we know that Marvel is working really hard with the cooperation of a number of entities at Disney to turn The Avengers into a true franchise,' he said on the earnings call.
Studios and theater owners generally split ticket sales 50-50, meaning that Disney has collected $320.9 million based on 'The Avengers' $641.8 million in worldwide ticket sales. Paramount's $25.7 million take would be applied against the pre-paid fee from Disney.
The two sides also agreed that 'The Avengers' would appear on the Epix online and premium TV service that Paramount owns with Lions Gate Entertainment and the MGM studio. That's a big boost for the nearly three-year-old channel. Disney is obligated to show most of its movies on the Starz pay channel.
How large Paramount's take will be depends on how big a hit 'The Avengers' becomes. The deal gets even better for Paramount in 2013, when Disney is scheduled to release the third Iron Man. Paramount will get 9 percent of the money that film will generate.
(Reporting By Ronald Grover; Editing by Eric Walsh)
Sunday, May 6, 2012
"Avengers" muscles to record $200 million in debut
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - 'The Avengers' proved that five superheroes are better than one by bursting into Hollywood's record books with a massive $200.3 million in ticket sales over its opening weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters, kicking off Hollywood's summer movie season with a bang.
The domestic debut for the big-budget, effects-filled movie from Disney's Marvel studios sped past last summer's 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - Part 2,' which opened with $169.2 million in its first weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. In March, 'The Hunger Games' opened with $152.5 million, the fourth largest opening in box office history.
'The Avengers,' which reunites Marvel comic heroes Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Black Widow, has collected $641.8 million since it opened in international markets on April 25.
'We keep thinking we have a sense of what this movie can do, or will do, and every time we get a report it does even better,' said Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice-president of distribution. 'This is very satisfying, to say the least.'
Disney's aggressive marketing, which included promotions aimed at women that included sending stars to 'The View' daytime talk show, resulted in women making up 40 percent of the audience for the action film, according to Disney's survey. Half the audience was also over 25 years of age, the studio also said.
Winner of the past two weekends, Sony's romantic comedy 'Think Like a Man,' slipped to second place with $8 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters, according to Hollywood.com.
'Hunger Games,' from Lions Gate Entertainment, took the No. 3 spot in its seventh week in theaters, with $5.7 million, and has collected $380.7 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters during its run.
Warner Brothers' 'The Lucky One' landed in fourth place with $5.5 million, and the animated film 'The Pirates! Band of Misfits' from Sony finished in fifth place with $5.4 million.
The undisputed success of 'Avengers' brought Disney the type of redemption that Hollywood loves to put on screen. In March, Disney released the expensive sci-fi adventure film 'John Carter,' one of the biggest flops in box office history. The company said it expects to lose up to $200 million on that film.
'Avengers' is the first Marvel film released by Disney since the media and theme park giant purchased Marvel Entertainment Inc in 2009 for $4 billion, a move to expand its appeal to boys with a stable of superheroes.
Disney would not say whether it plans to make a sequel. Sequels to films based on the Thor and Iron Man characters are scheduled for next year and Captain America in 2014.
About 52 percent of 'The Avengers' ticket sales came from higher-priced 3D tickets, Disney said. The film sold more than $15 million in tickets on 275 digital-only large-screen IMAX theaters, IMAX said, which it said would tie it with 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - Part 2' for its highest grossing opening weekend.
The first weekend in May kicks off Hollywood's summer movie-going season, a four-month period typically filled with big-budget action movies and sequels. Coming movies include Batman movie 'The Dark Knight Rises,' 'The Amazing Spider-Man,' 'Men in Black 3,' and 'Battleship.'
(Editing by Eric Beech)
This article is brought to you by MONEY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE.
The domestic debut for the big-budget, effects-filled movie from Disney's Marvel studios sped past last summer's 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - Part 2,' which opened with $169.2 million in its first weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. In March, 'The Hunger Games' opened with $152.5 million, the fourth largest opening in box office history.
'The Avengers,' which reunites Marvel comic heroes Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Black Widow, has collected $641.8 million since it opened in international markets on April 25.
'We keep thinking we have a sense of what this movie can do, or will do, and every time we get a report it does even better,' said Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice-president of distribution. 'This is very satisfying, to say the least.'
Disney's aggressive marketing, which included promotions aimed at women that included sending stars to 'The View' daytime talk show, resulted in women making up 40 percent of the audience for the action film, according to Disney's survey. Half the audience was also over 25 years of age, the studio also said.
Winner of the past two weekends, Sony's romantic comedy 'Think Like a Man,' slipped to second place with $8 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters, according to Hollywood.com.
'Hunger Games,' from Lions Gate Entertainment, took the No. 3 spot in its seventh week in theaters, with $5.7 million, and has collected $380.7 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters during its run.
Warner Brothers' 'The Lucky One' landed in fourth place with $5.5 million, and the animated film 'The Pirates! Band of Misfits' from Sony finished in fifth place with $5.4 million.
The undisputed success of 'Avengers' brought Disney the type of redemption that Hollywood loves to put on screen. In March, Disney released the expensive sci-fi adventure film 'John Carter,' one of the biggest flops in box office history. The company said it expects to lose up to $200 million on that film.
'Avengers' is the first Marvel film released by Disney since the media and theme park giant purchased Marvel Entertainment Inc in 2009 for $4 billion, a move to expand its appeal to boys with a stable of superheroes.
Disney would not say whether it plans to make a sequel. Sequels to films based on the Thor and Iron Man characters are scheduled for next year and Captain America in 2014.
About 52 percent of 'The Avengers' ticket sales came from higher-priced 3D tickets, Disney said. The film sold more than $15 million in tickets on 275 digital-only large-screen IMAX theaters, IMAX said, which it said would tie it with 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - Part 2' for its highest grossing opening weekend.
The first weekend in May kicks off Hollywood's summer movie-going season, a four-month period typically filled with big-budget action movies and sequels. Coming movies include Batman movie 'The Dark Knight Rises,' 'The Amazing Spider-Man,' 'Men in Black 3,' and 'Battleship.'
(Editing by Eric Beech)
This article is brought to you by MONEY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE.
Friday, May 4, 2012
'The Avengers' for those who don't read comic books
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - 'The Avengers' assemble this weekend in what many box office analysts are predicting will be the biggest opening in movie history.
It's an event that Marvel Studios, the company behind the superhero films, has been building up to since 'Iron Man' opened in 2008, teasing the super-team flick in each men-in-tights film it sends to theaters.
But not everybody grew up reading comics or had the time to watch the nearly half-dozen films that led up to the blockbuster hopeful.
To that end, TheWrap has assembled a helpful guide to get you brushed up on the back story behind 'earth's mightiest heroes.'
Who Exactly Are the Avengers?
Marvel shook up the team's origins when it decided the super-group was ready for its big screen close-up, but here goes.
Unlike 'The X-Men,' they're not social pariahs on the wrong side of the law, and unlike 'The Fantastic Four,' they're not a family. They're government sponsored and government approved. In the movie version, the team is backed by an espionage group know as S.H.I.E.L.D. and its eye-patch-wearing chief Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).
The membership consists of Captain America (Chris Evans), a World War II-era soldier; the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), an ornery creature with super strength; Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the god of thunder; Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), a rich, acerbic guy in killer armor; Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), a supremely talented archer; and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), a Russian spy whose main talent is her disappearing, reappearing accent.
In the comic books, a group consisting of Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, the Ant-Man and the Wasp first united to defeat Thor's brother Loki. On the big screen, the villain remains the Norse god of mischief, but the two insect-inspired do-gooders have been jettisoned.
What the Heck is a Tesseract?
Stumble into 'The Avengers' cold, and you're bound to spend a good deal of the film scratching your head and muttering, 'What in the name of Odin's beard is a tesseract?'
Allow us to elucidate. The cube is a stunningly powerful object that the U.S. government has in its possession when the film opens and that Loki wants. Frequently referred to in the comics as the cosmic cube, the tesseract gives its owner nearly unlimited power and the ability to open portals between galaxies... which is pretty handy if, like Loki, you're plotting an alien invasion.
The cube hails from Asgard and previously made cameo appearances in 'Iron Man 2' and 'Thor,' and factored rather prominently in 'Captain America.' In that film, Captain America's arch-nemesis, the Red Skull, captured the cube and attempted to harness its powers to create a weapon.
Things didn't go according to plan, and Red Skull was vaporized while trying to wield the cube. So it's clearly, buyer beware.
Hey That's Not Eric Bana... or Edward Norton?
There's a reason that Mark Ruffalo dubbed Hulk 'our generation's Hamlet.' Every 30-plus-year-old actor seems destined to get a crack at bringing their version of the big green guy to the silver screen.
In 'The Avengers,' Ruffalo becomes the third actor in less than a decade to play Dr. Bruce Banner and his monster alter-ego.
Bana played the part in 2003's 'Hulk,' and Norton took over the role in 2008's 'The Incredible Hulk.' Bana left because barely anyone could stomach Ang Lee's ponderous take on the comic book character or his movie's bizarre starfish motif, while Norton reportedly feuded with Marvel over the movie's script and final edit.
Enter Ruffalo, who plays a far less tortured, much more shaggy and Ruffalo-licious Banner. This time, the good doctor has learned to better control the inner anger that unleashes the Hulk, but Loki has a way of getting under even the most zen-like person's skin.
Wait, There's an Alien Invasion?
The Avengers don't just have to best Loki to save the world, they also have to prevent a horde of extraterrestrials from overrunning Manhattan.
The brothers from another planet in this case are a race of alien creatures known as the Chitauri. In the comic books, these creatures are shape-shifters who once aided the Nazis in their quest for global domination. On the big screen, however, they mostly keep their skeletal, fish-eyed form.
Although they are technically pulling the strings when it comes to Loki, they have the movie bad guy problem of having really bad aim, while proving to be really easy targets. As outer space menaces go, they're only marginally more threatening than E.T.
Will Spider-Man or Wolverine Pop Up in Future 'Avengers' Sequels?
Not likely. Although both characters find themselves at various points in the Marvel mythology as members of the team, neither Spidey nor Wolvey will be suiting up with the gang in the near future.
The culprit isn't a lack of big-screen success. The original Spider-Man films grossed nearly $2.5 billion worldwide, and the character is swinging back into theaters this summer in 'The Amazing Spider-Man,' albeit with Andrew Garfield taking over the wall-crawler role from Tobey Maguire.
Likewise, Wolverine has played a key role in making the X-Men franchise a hit and starred in his own blockbuster spin-off, 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine.'
But the rights to these characters are tied up with other studios. Before Marvel was acquired by Disney for $4 billion in 2009 it licensed the rights to many of its most popular characters to other film companies.
To that end, Fox controls the X-Men characters and Sony houses Spider-Man as long as they keep making sequels or reboots to the hit films.
Barring a miracle, it's going to be a long time before Iron Man, Spider-Man and Wolverine save the world together.
It's an event that Marvel Studios, the company behind the superhero films, has been building up to since 'Iron Man' opened in 2008, teasing the super-team flick in each men-in-tights film it sends to theaters.
But not everybody grew up reading comics or had the time to watch the nearly half-dozen films that led up to the blockbuster hopeful.
To that end, TheWrap has assembled a helpful guide to get you brushed up on the back story behind 'earth's mightiest heroes.'
Who Exactly Are the Avengers?
Marvel shook up the team's origins when it decided the super-group was ready for its big screen close-up, but here goes.
Unlike 'The X-Men,' they're not social pariahs on the wrong side of the law, and unlike 'The Fantastic Four,' they're not a family. They're government sponsored and government approved. In the movie version, the team is backed by an espionage group know as S.H.I.E.L.D. and its eye-patch-wearing chief Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).
The membership consists of Captain America (Chris Evans), a World War II-era soldier; the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), an ornery creature with super strength; Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the god of thunder; Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), a rich, acerbic guy in killer armor; Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), a supremely talented archer; and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), a Russian spy whose main talent is her disappearing, reappearing accent.
In the comic books, a group consisting of Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, the Ant-Man and the Wasp first united to defeat Thor's brother Loki. On the big screen, the villain remains the Norse god of mischief, but the two insect-inspired do-gooders have been jettisoned.
What the Heck is a Tesseract?
Stumble into 'The Avengers' cold, and you're bound to spend a good deal of the film scratching your head and muttering, 'What in the name of Odin's beard is a tesseract?'
Allow us to elucidate. The cube is a stunningly powerful object that the U.S. government has in its possession when the film opens and that Loki wants. Frequently referred to in the comics as the cosmic cube, the tesseract gives its owner nearly unlimited power and the ability to open portals between galaxies... which is pretty handy if, like Loki, you're plotting an alien invasion.
The cube hails from Asgard and previously made cameo appearances in 'Iron Man 2' and 'Thor,' and factored rather prominently in 'Captain America.' In that film, Captain America's arch-nemesis, the Red Skull, captured the cube and attempted to harness its powers to create a weapon.
Things didn't go according to plan, and Red Skull was vaporized while trying to wield the cube. So it's clearly, buyer beware.
Hey That's Not Eric Bana... or Edward Norton?
There's a reason that Mark Ruffalo dubbed Hulk 'our generation's Hamlet.' Every 30-plus-year-old actor seems destined to get a crack at bringing their version of the big green guy to the silver screen.
In 'The Avengers,' Ruffalo becomes the third actor in less than a decade to play Dr. Bruce Banner and his monster alter-ego.
Bana played the part in 2003's 'Hulk,' and Norton took over the role in 2008's 'The Incredible Hulk.' Bana left because barely anyone could stomach Ang Lee's ponderous take on the comic book character or his movie's bizarre starfish motif, while Norton reportedly feuded with Marvel over the movie's script and final edit.
Enter Ruffalo, who plays a far less tortured, much more shaggy and Ruffalo-licious Banner. This time, the good doctor has learned to better control the inner anger that unleashes the Hulk, but Loki has a way of getting under even the most zen-like person's skin.
Wait, There's an Alien Invasion?
The Avengers don't just have to best Loki to save the world, they also have to prevent a horde of extraterrestrials from overrunning Manhattan.
The brothers from another planet in this case are a race of alien creatures known as the Chitauri. In the comic books, these creatures are shape-shifters who once aided the Nazis in their quest for global domination. On the big screen, however, they mostly keep their skeletal, fish-eyed form.
Although they are technically pulling the strings when it comes to Loki, they have the movie bad guy problem of having really bad aim, while proving to be really easy targets. As outer space menaces go, they're only marginally more threatening than E.T.
Will Spider-Man or Wolverine Pop Up in Future 'Avengers' Sequels?
Not likely. Although both characters find themselves at various points in the Marvel mythology as members of the team, neither Spidey nor Wolvey will be suiting up with the gang in the near future.
The culprit isn't a lack of big-screen success. The original Spider-Man films grossed nearly $2.5 billion worldwide, and the character is swinging back into theaters this summer in 'The Amazing Spider-Man,' albeit with Andrew Garfield taking over the wall-crawler role from Tobey Maguire.
Likewise, Wolverine has played a key role in making the X-Men franchise a hit and starred in his own blockbuster spin-off, 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine.'
But the rights to these characters are tied up with other studios. Before Marvel was acquired by Disney for $4 billion in 2009 it licensed the rights to many of its most popular characters to other film companies.
To that end, Fox controls the X-Men characters and Sony houses Spider-Man as long as they keep making sequels or reboots to the hit films.
Barring a miracle, it's going to be a long time before Iron Man, Spider-Man and Wolverine save the world together.
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