The movie did right by the "normals". I loved that

both Black Widow and Hawkeye were integral to stopping the bad guys in the end.

Absolutely, Frank. I loved that a lot.

How did Thor know something was going down with the Tesseract? My original question was going to be "How did Thor return to Earth from Asgard, since the Bifrost was all broken?", but honestly, I'm pretty good with the handwavey answer in Loki's comment about Odin using dark forces (or whatever) to return Thor to Earth.

My real question is -- how did Thor KNOW there was a reason he needed to be on Earth? Because Thor even tells Loki that he thought Loki was dead, so he couldn't have known that Loki was up to his old shenanigans on Earth.

My best guess is that, since the Tesseract was from Asgard, when it suddenly became active again, the activity somehow was evident in Asgard, and that's what tipped Thor off that he needed to get back to Earth.

Or did I miss the actual explanation?

No, I don't think there was an explanation, but there's always Heimdall, who "sees" stuff.

No, I don't think there was an explanation, but there's always

Hmm. I would have liked an explanation, or at least that the most plausible reason (that Thor was chasing Loki) be possible/consistent with the storyline (because Thor couldn't have been chasing Loki since, again, he thought Loki was dead).

That's my only real loose end that I would have liked to see picked up.

Doesn't Frigga also have prophetic dreams? I'm good with either of those explanations.

> Also, gotta say HARRY DEAN STANTON

!!!!!

I KNOW! I squealed out loud at that one.

I also totally agree with Frank about the normals. The one thing though, in the whole movie, that threw me out of the story for a sec was Black Widow firing her sidearm at the flying monster. All I could think was YOU ARE WASTING AMMO! Save it for close contact. Seriously.

I love the three point supercut. And the backward push up stunt in the Avengers was also cool. Throughout the video, though, I kept waiting for Cate Beckinsale in Underworld, until I realized that her 'drop' was even more badass, since it was a TWO point landing. It makes me gasp every time.

I loved the Avengers costuming. Every outfit, even Banner's, seemed perfectly suited to each actor's shape. So much so, that the scene where Black Widow walks up to the super cell of Loki incarceration had me completely staring at her backside. Which is not normally my way. Seriously.

I'm still shaking my head over how surprisingly amazing Mark Ruffalo's casting was...and then, he said on the Graham Norton Show, that he is the first actor to play both the Hulk and Banner. I never even thought about it, though it makes sense now that I know it.

Which is not normally my way. Seriously.

Someone in my vicinity commented, "That's some good 3D."

Holy shit.

Box Office Shocker: 'Avengers' Scores $80.5 Million, Second Biggest Friday Opening of All Time

All that 3D and IMAX money sure does add up. Joss Whedon, mainstream success?