Joss Whedon reveals the main POV character for The Avengers

It should be no surprise to hear that Joss Whedon has placed none other than Captain America at the forefront of the upcoming THE AVENGERS. At the conclusion of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, Cap finds himself a severely displaced person, waking up in modern day New York, lamenting the loss of a date with Hayley Atwell (uh, wouldn’t you?)

Whedon explains: “So much of [The Avengers] story takes place from Steve Rogers’ perspective, since he’s the guy who just woke up and sees this weird-ass world,” Whedon says. “Everyone else has been living in it. He’s the guy that feels that sense of loss.”

Although I’m not a fan of Whedon’s Buffy series, I’ve always felt that he was a terrific choice to handle THE AVENGERS. Tackling an ensemble cast of characters, each with their own distinct identity is no easy task and Whedon is a proven talent for performing that balancing act. I think he’s made the right choice in focusing the story through then lens of Steve Rogers/Cap, as he is the rightful leader of the team in the comics (albeit some shifts from time to time. Like when he was dead).

“[The Avengers] is very much about people who are alone — because I’m writing it,” says Whedon. “[Captain America] is kind of the ultimate loner in that way. There is an anachronism to him, and Chris and I have always tried to, without making it goofy or too obvious, make him that same grounded ’40s Steve Rogers he was in the other movie.”

I suspect we’ll be seeing more and more tidbits leaking out in the next few months. I’m especially looking forward to the rumored new trailer, which should raise our blood pressure enough to plant our asses in seats when Marvel’s THE AVENGERS blows up a long roadway filled with cars on May 4th, 2012. (That’s less than 4 months away, peeps!)