Recently, Gilbert had been busy preparing The Avengers 1. Fortunately, the team was mature enough. Although the project investment was huge, the work itself was relatively relaxed.
In terms of promotion, the film had started very early. Previously, social media accounts were registered for each superhero, and later a group chat was created where they chatted together.
Natasha Romanoff: "Hulk, you smashed someone's building again."
Hulk: "Roar!"
Tony Stark: "Hey! Guys, I think we should lock this violent maniac up."
Hawkeye: "Tony, don't forget—last time Hulk even smashed the prison."
Thor: "Hey! Hulk, want to come play with a hammer?"
Steve Rogers: "Alright, guys, stop fooling around. Nick Fury wants us at a meeting."
Everyone: "Oh my god, what Avengers plan is it this time…"
Chat logs and screenshots like these kept leaking online, attracting wave after wave of fans to watch.
These chat records were sometimes humorous and playful, sometimes serious and proper, perfectly simulating the tone of the superheroes. A few times, they were even voice chats, with the actors sounding as if they truly had become the superheroes themselves.
And in the latest chat, a conversation between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers revealed a date: May 6.
Anyone who checked carefully would know that May 6 next year was the first week of the summer season—that is, the officially announced release date of the film.
Once this news came out, the other summer blockbusters could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Everyone still vividly remembered the disastrous collision between TRON: Legacy and Inception during the summer season, although this had more to do with the quality of TRON: Legacy itself.
Still, cramming two super–big-budget productions into one release window was not a wise choice for either side.
That's why release dates are so important. No one wants to announce a date only to run headfirst into another blockbuster—especially one from the summer-season king, which everyone tries to avoid at all costs.
Of course, competitors were not going to let Gilbert finish The Avengers so easily.
Many media outlets rehashed old stories, once again hyping up Robert Downey Jr.'s troubled past in an attempt to stir up audience resentment.
But for The Avengers, and for Robert Downey Jr. himself, this was nothing more than a mild itch.
As for other minor negative rumors, they were basically ineffective.
Gilbert simply had Robert Downey Jr. handle the PR himself—for example, dressing up as Iron Man to visit orphanages, playing games with the children.
After hearing that a child in a Seattle hospital was an Iron Man fan, Robert Downey Jr. prepared gifts and went to visit the child together with Kevin Durant, the star player of the Thunder.
Disney-affiliated media actively reported on the incident, working hard to build a positive image for Robert Downey Jr.
However, Robert Downey Jr.'s situation was not the most serious issue.
Very soon, the descendants of Jack Kirby raised objections to Marvel's revenue-sharing model, stating that Jack Kirby was the comic artist and creator of many superhero works and should receive the share he rightfully deserved.
Many people were not very familiar with Jack Kirby, because the comic artist passed away back in 1994. Previously, he had been Stan Lee's assistant, and together they created the images of many Marvel superheroes.
According to the agreement between Marvel and Stan Lee, for every superhero film produced or comic published, Stan Lee was entitled to receive a certain percentage of revenue.
Jack Kirby, however, had no share from films. After all, when he passed away, North America's comic industry was in a winter downturn, and Marvel itself was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Jack Kirby's descendants stated that if Marvel did not agree to their demands, they would take Marvel to court.
If the lawsuit succeeded, Marvel would be forced to halt all operations, including comic publishing and film production.
Such demands that infringed on interests were naturally impossible to accept. With Disney's support, Marvel assembled a massive legal team and prepared to fight the lawsuit.
Not only Marvel, but companies such as 20th Century Fox and Sony Columbia that held Marvel superhero copyrights were also inevitably affected.
Faced with a common threat, the parties quickly united to jointly confront the impending legal battle.
During discussions with Kevin Feige and Stan Lee, Gilbert even put on the appearance of a good guy.
"Sigh, things shouldn't have turned out like this."
Gilbert asked, "Is it possible to settle with them? We could offer a consolation payment. It hasn't been easy for them either."
Kevin Feige raised his eyebrows and said, "I'm afraid not. Since they've already initiated the lawsuit, it won't end so easily."
Stan Lee, with a more fiery temper, said, "Gilbert, we can't give in. If we give in today, what happens when other descendants come forward? You have to understand—Jack Kirby isn't the only comic artist who has passed away."
Although Stan Lee had worked with Jack Kirby for many years, when it came to matters of his interest, he showed no intention of backing down.
"Alright then!"
After his attempt at playing the good guy failed, Gilbert stopped being polite. "We can't let them affect our pace anymore. Kevin, keep a close eye on this matter."
Kevin Feige nodded, indicating that he understood.
There was still some time before filming began. Gilbert temporarily handed the preparatory work over to Charles Roven and assistant director Annie Burton, while he himself took Ivanka to Tokyo to personally oversee matters for his several island-nation mistresses.
Although the director himself wasn't present, the preparations for The Avengers were proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Unlike the original version, where most of the filming was done in green-screen studios, Gilbert still planned extensive location shoots—for example, actually going to India and Germany to film on site.
As for New York, where the final battle takes place, the plan was to combine live-action shooting with special effects.
In addition, the prop department worked together with the physical effects engineers from Orange Studio to design Thor's appearance, allowing Chris Hemsworth's powerful arm muscles to be fully showcased.
Captain America Steve Rogers' costume was also redesigned, Iron Man received a brand-new suit of armor, and based on Scarlett's figure and styling, she also got a brand-new tight-fitting combat suit.
According to Scarlett's own complaints, the outfit was great in every way—except that it wasn't very easy to tear open, meaning Gilbert might have to put in a bit of effort later.
The prop team and physical effects engineers also produced a large number of miniature models, including the Helicarrier, Quinjet fighters, and massive models of the Chitauri leviathans.
Because of his connections in the island nation, Gilbert also visited Tsuburaya Productions and the Ultraman series they were currently producing.
This made Gilbert realize that certain scenes could be filmed using tokusatsu techniques. For example, the shot where the Hulk pins down a Chitauri leviathan with one hand could be completed using tokusatsu-style filming.
Another interesting matter was that Clark Gregg, the actor who played Agent Coulson, proactively recommended himself, proposing that he could continue writing some stories set after The Avengers.
Gilbert had heard in his previous life that the Marvel series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was written by Clark Gregg, so he had Kevin Feige assign this work to him.
As a spin-off series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could supplement the overall worldview of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and serve a supporting role.
Gilbert also made requests of Clark Gregg: to clearly explain the internal operations of S.H.I.E.L.D., while also referencing other superheroes.
Another issue that needed to be addressed was what happened to New York after the superheroes fought the aliens—who cleaned up the aftermath, where Loki's scepter went, and so on.
All of these were Clark Gregg's tasks, and he was to focus on resolving these issues.
...
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