# New Avengers movie - anyone else confused by the title? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 9, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395 "2012-05-09T15:19:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/21 "2012-05-09T16:40:10Z")
When they did them as comic books, the title had to be changed to [Steed and Mrs. Peel](http://wingedavenger.theavengers.tv/comics/acme.htm). That caused endless confusion in comic books stores when people flocked in for the new Avengers book. They were pretty good. I got the first two, but I wasn’t a regular comic reader in those days so with a year’s wait I never realized that a third one was produced. I couldn’t watch the film Avengers long enough even to get to Sean Connery. It’s on the list for Worst Film Ever. My dream would have been for Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson to play them while they were still young and married. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/22 "2012-05-09T16:42:10Z")
I think that’s why they call it “Marvel’s Avengers.” I also agree with **drastic\_quench**. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/23 "2012-05-09T17:27:25Z")
The first time I heard the title, I definitely thought it referred to the British T.V. series. Over time and exposure to the massive media campaign, I grasped the difference. I think it was the Farmer’s Insurance commercial that finally planted the Marvel superheroes firmly in my brain in association with the movie. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/24 "2012-05-09T17:36:05Z")
I had the reverse problem in 1998. “Oh, sweet, they’re making an Avengers movie!..wait, where the heck are my superheroes?” Looks like the British TV show beat out the comics team’s use of the name by 2 years, so at least it has that in it’s favor. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/25 "2012-05-09T18:17:33Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > No, of course not. The marketing for this movie has been everywhere. Disney has absolutely saturated all media with ads. With the exception of simply looking at the showtimes, I don’t know how anyone with a tv or computer could be aware of the name but not the brand. Even walking through a retail store, the Avengers merch is everywhere. Honest to Og, I have not seen any advertising for this movie. I’m not trying to paint myself as some sort of proud luddite, either. Could be that I haven’t done much retail shopping in the past 6 months (if I do it’s like, in the housewares section at Target or just the grocery store.) Could be that I don’t have cable and have not seen any target-audience movies in that time (I’ve seen movies just not ones with the right previews). I don’t get the paper or cruise entertainment sites - even though I have been to entertainment sites in that time. I go to fast food places, only just in the drive through. I also use AdBlock so I don’t see internet ads. I suspect if I watched tv with commercials, went into toy or clothing sections in department stores, flipped through current entertainment magazines or sites or stood in line at a fast food joint I’d have seen it. But I totally missed it. I even saw photos from a film shoot in my friend’s neighborhood last summer. No characters in costume so I still didn’t know. Trust me, I don’t think I’m normal in these regards and am plenty embarrassed that I have been clueless when it comes to this movie. I did play against a friend in Draw Something about a month ago and he started drawing some characters from The Avengers and once he finished Captain America and The Hulk I got the clue. Still didn’t make me sure that the new movie was the same characters 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/26 "2012-05-09T18:19:32Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > No, of course not. The marketing for this movie has been everywhere. Disney has absolutely saturated all media with ads. With the exception of simply looking at the showtimes, I don’t know how anyone with a tv or computer could be aware of the name but not the brand. Even walking through a retail store, the Avengers merch is everywhere. > > The Marvel movies leading up to this made a billion at the box office, were huge hits, and actively built towards The Avengers. Captain America’s movie even had “The First Avenger” in the title. And The Avengers have been a continuous brand in comics since 1963. > > The other, by comparison, couldn’t be further out of the public’s consciousness. A second rate, foreign, tv show that could be kindly called a cult success in the sixties which was later remade in the 90s into one of the worst and most disposable movies Sean Connery ever made. Marketing, shmarketing. I don’t look at that stuff. I haven’t read a comic book since the 70’s and even though I had a job up till last year building movie theater displays, I don’t follow those types of shows. AND part of the movie was filmed right outside my building, we had extras sitting in front of my store every night, and still, every single time I hear “The Avengers” my **first** thought is John Steed and Emma Peel. Don’t care how much money Marvel makes…my Avengers wear bowler hats and black catsuits and have better dialogue! Heck, I even campaigned to procure the logo for our company to use for crew members, and still…my first thought, each and every time… once you are hooked, you are hooked! ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/27 "2012-05-09T18:31:14Z")
Better dialogue than a Joss Whedon film? I didn’t know Mamet wrote for The Avengers in the 60s. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/28 "2012-05-09T18:36:05Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Better dialogue than a Joss Whedon film? I didn’t know Mamet wrote for The Avengers in the 60s. [Brian Clemons](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0166018/) did. End of contest. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/29 "2012-05-09T18:38:12Z")
Sounds sort of how I felt in the lead-up to _Avatar_. I saw some of the concept art for the human war machines and thought “Man, I knew the Fire Nation was starting on industrial tech, but that’s a huge stretch”. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/30 "2012-05-09T18:47:51Z")
I thought: the character isn’t supposed to be blue. The Avatar has long blond hair, armor, and a red cape. The space stuff isn’t so weird; apparently Ultima I had a space combat part. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/31 "2012-05-09T19:27:23Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > The only thing I was disappointed about when I watched ‘The Avengers’ was that we never got to see Emma um… peel. Scott Simon of NPR had been a huge fan of Mrs. Peel in his teens and later recalled that, when he finally had the chance, as a cub reporter, to interview Diana Rigg, his first hard-hitting question was something along the lines of, “What is it, ma’am, that makes you so wonderful?” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/32 "2012-05-09T22:19:04Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > The only thing I was disappointed about when I watched ‘The Avengers’ was that we never got to see Emma um… peel. With the leather cat suit, we didn’t need to. I enjoyed the bits in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, when Kwai Chang Kang got together with all his buddies from days gone by, but not under these names: John Steed, Napoleon Solo, The Saint, and Elliot Ness (since they already had Robert Stack on the payroll). And, for me, the Steed/Peel Avengers movie is working the other way around… I keep seeing it in used DVD stores and think “wtf, it isn’t even OUT yet…?” ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/33 "2012-05-09T23:22:06Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I thought: the character isn’t supposed to be blue. The Avatar has long blond hair, armor, and a red cape. The space stuff isn’t so weird; apparently Ultima I had a space combat part. Ultima II had space travel as well - you go to different planets (though IIRC you only need to go Planet X) Brian ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/34 "2012-05-10T12:06:25Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > [Brian Clemons](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0166018/) did. End of contest. The guy who wrote Highlander II? That’s your comparison to Joss? ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/35 "2012-05-10T15:54:58Z")
> [@MegaBee](#): > > When I was a kid, I saw that The Avengers was coming on TV. Then it was that British TV show, not the superheroes, and I was sad. “The Avengers” Marvel comic made its debut in September, 1963. “The Avengers” television show made its debut in the US in October 1965. I also thought the new TV show might be about the superheroes. Initially, I was disappointed as well. But I was 14 in October '65. One look at Mrs. Peel and I was hooked! ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/36 "2012-05-10T16:14:22Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Yep, me too, I thought Scarlett Johanssen was playing Emma Peel and Robert Downey, Jr., was Steed. But if it’s a New Avengers movie, they’d be playing Purdey and Mike Gambit. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/37 "2012-05-10T16:24:20Z")
> [@vislor](#): > > The guy who wrote Highlander II? That’s your comparison to Joss? I’ve never heard of the guy and can’t defend him, but there are many, many steps between screenwriting and filming and final editing with things can go wrong. TVTropes on Executive Meddling says: > [@](#): > > Russell Mulcahy, the director of Highlander II: The Quickening, has blamed the incredible crappiness that is the film on the fact that the film’s insurance company took over production after he repeatedly came in late and over-budget. They made numerous changes to the movie, including changing the Immortals’ Back Story, and merging together the two fight scenes between MacLeod and the villainous Katana. Mulcahy tried to salvage the movie later by re-cutting it to match his original vision as best he could and releasing it as Highlander II: The Renegade Version. Doesn’t mention the writer, but mind this is after the director probably still made his own changes. See also, YMMV: _I Am Legend_, _Blade Runner_. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/38 "2012-05-10T20:29:45Z")
I thought the same thing and felt like such a dumbass I had to trumpet the fact to the world in a blog post. I art an idiot, here me drool! 😛 Of course I love me some comic book characters too … as long as we have Robert Downey Jr. on the payroll. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/39 "2012-05-10T21:44:37Z")
My mom liked The Avengers, and the revival, The New Avengers. By the time I found out about them as a kid, I already knew the Avengers as the superheroes from the comics, and finding out there was a totally different Avengers threw me at first–for what, a few minutes? Seconds? I like them both. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > When they did them as comic books, the title had to be changed to [Steed and Mrs. Peel](http://wingedavenger.theavengers.tv/comics/acme.htm). That caused endless confusion in comic books stores when people flocked in for the new Avengers book. > > They were pretty good. I got the first two, but I wasn’t a regular comic reader in those days so with a year’s wait I never realized that a third one was produced. I have those. They came out about 7 months apart, as I recall, so each has a different copyright year. Ian Gibson art, which is highly stylized but pretty nice. Rather goofy stories. ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395/40 "2012-05-10T21:46:47Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I’ve never heard of the guy and can’t defend him, but there are many, many steps between screenwriting and filming and final editing with things can go wrong. TVTropes on Executive Meddling says: > > Doesn’t mention the writer, but mind this is after the director probably still made his own changes. > > See also, YMMV: _I Am Legend_, _Blade Runner_. This was mostly tongue in cheek from me, because of Alien IV and Joss. So I get that. Just trying to be snarky and it didn’t work. Carry on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-avengers-movie-anyone-else-confused-by-the-title/621395.md?page=3)