Unless you’ve been living under a rock or some remote location on planet Earth with no connection to the Internet, you’ll know that the surprisingly extensive teaser trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron found its way online yesterday — a leak that Marvel quickly attributed to arch nemesis Hydra, but we don’t like to point the finger of blame.
Either way, it was an enticing tease for what is, by now, one of the biggest and most-anticipated films of 2015. Notable money shots included glimpses of Tony Stark’s Bruce Banner-defying Hulkbuster, along with new looks at Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s sibling duo, Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver.
But one facet of the footage that had fans reeling long after the fade to black was James Spader’s take on Ultron — the film’s overarching, cybernetic villain that seems to have cracked the technological singularity. Without doubt, the character serves as a foreboding threat for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and while the sequel risks falling back on a Chitauri-like swarm to overwhelm our heroes, Spader’s supervillain is still very much the center of attention.
Speaking to Total Film in a recent interview, the actor touched upon the nature of the character and how humor, as opposed to a world-ruling power trip, drew him to the role in the first place.
“There’s a humorous aspect to him, which is something that drew me in from the very first conversation I had with Joss [Whedon],” Spader revealed. “In many ways he’s a child, this character, because he’s a brand new being who’s just come to be. And yet, through artificial intelligence, he has an incredible capacity for knowledge. So he’s a very powerful, smart child. Yes, he is psychopathic. He’s really batsh*t crazy!”
Avengers: Age of Ultron will open on May 1st, 2015. If you’re like us and wish to watch the trailer for a seventh or eighth time, we’ve got you covered.