'Avengers' Trailer: Experts Weigh In

The first trailer for "The Avengers" is finally here, offering our best look yet at what director Joss Whedon has in mind for when Earth's Mightiest Heroes gather together on the big screen in May. For many fans, the trailer delivered on all its promises: extensive looks at the team in action, creepy narration from Tom Hiddleston's Loki and even Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury stepping onto the battlefield with a bazooka in tow. For other fans — let's just say the sweet melodic stylings of Nine Inch Nails wasn't exactly what they had in mind for the trailer's soundtrack, among other grievances. To get a better sense at what fans are thinking regarding the "Avengers" trailer, MTV News reached out to film and comic book experts across the blogosphere to weigh in with their thoughts on the latest Marvel teaser. The overall verdict, with few exceptions, is that the trailer is a rollicking success. "I'm a guy who likes to deal in specifics, and what I can say specifically is I honestly liked all of it," said Jonah Weiland, executive producer at Comic Book Resources. "Sets an incredible tone and gives us a glimpse of the dynamic between the core members (I'm sure we'll find out more about Black Widow and Hawkeye in due time). The action looks intense, but most importantly the characters all look like they 'fit' together — frankly, that's one of the biggest challenges with this 'team movie' concept Marvel has been building to and it appears on first glance like they've succeeded in a major way." NextMovie's Kevin Polowy agreed that the "Avengers" trailer was the home run he was hoping for. "First off, I'm just relieved there's some meat to it," he said. "This is leaps and bounds beyond the unrevealing teaser trailer I think a lot of fans feared. Instead, we're treated to glimpses of all the Avengers as well as Nick Fury and Loki, not to mention plenty of other bells and whistles: Menacing narration, cars blowing up, rocket launchers, trademark Tony Stark snark, more cars blowing up ... lots of cars blow up in this trailer. Plus a look at that 'rage monster' the Hulk! I thought it rocked. This is really going to bring the house down at New York Comic Con." From the perspective of HitFix's Gregory Ellwood, Marvel hit the nail on the ol' Shellhead when it comes to the movie's big selling point. "It was fantastic to see Iron Man flying through the air again — Marvel knows how they are going to open this movie, and it's with him," he said. "The Downey Jr./Banner moment was cute (boy are those guys short, though), Hemsworth's charm is always infectious, Sam Jackson is kickin' ass like there are some snakes everywhere, Black Widow is in the house, we get our first glimpse of an Avengers Quinjet and a shot of Cap and Thor coming to blows." But there are some areas the "Avengers" trailer did not deliver on, according to the experts, like getting the chance to spend more time with Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye, whose only previous Marvel credit is a brief cameo in "Thor." "It would've been nice to see a little bit more Hawkeye," said Caleb Goellner, senior editor at Comics Alliance. "I understand that the 'Big Three' and Black Widow are the established characters with the biggest draw, but what can I say? I like arrows." Ellwood agreed, adding a dearth of Black Widow to his list of critiques: "It would be fantastic if Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner actually had a chance to speak. Although, obviously, many fans of the Black Widow might not care." Another potential area of weakness: the movie's central threat. Though we know Loki is the big bad in charge during "The Avengers," we're still in the dark as to the power he possesses. As Newsarama's Lucas Siegel pointed out: "What's the big threat? We saw Loki, who Thor took down on his own, and ... exploding cars. It would've been nice to have a little bit more direct of a 'big threat' shown." Having said that, Siegel added: "Of course, that's what we all want to see, but it could also be a great thing to save for the movie itself." "All in due time," Weiland agreed regarding Marvel's decision to withhold certain bits of key information. "This certainly isn't the last trailer for this movie." It certainly isn't. Asked what they were most looking forward to seeing next from the Avengers, many of the experts agreed upon a certain shade of green. "Hulk, Hulk, Hulk!" Weiland said. "It's a safe bet that some — if not much — of the NYC destruction seen in the trailer is caused by the Hulk and, look, we all want to see Hulk rampage. Sure, we got some of that in those two films, but I'm pretty sure in Joss Whedon's hands, he'll make those previous Hulk movies look like an episode of 'My Little Pony.' " Another frequently cited item on the wish list: confirmation of Loki's allies, long rumored to be the Skrulls, an alien race of shape-shifters prominently featured in Marvel Comics. "I'd like the next trailer to further tease what kind of threat the Avengers will face in 2012," Goellner said. "Skrulls? Robots? Elves? Whatever it is, I want to know the team is up against more than Loki and some city streets exploding." "Of course everyone still wants to know who's helping Loki wreak havoc on Earth," Polowy agreed. "Clearly some sort of intergalactic posse's got his back. But I wouldn't be surprised if Whedon and company keep that under wraps for as long as they can." But if there's one thing the experts could all agree upon? "Just the whole darn movie," Siegel exclaimed. "Can't wait!" Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers." For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com. Samuel L. Jackson in "The Avengers" Photo: Marvel