Skip to main content

Marvel Studios short film The Consultant arrives online, offers Avengers prequel

A while back, Marvel revealed that the Thor Blu-Ray would feature the first in a series of short films created by the studio to bridge the gap between the films leading up to The Avengers and make the Marvel movie-verse timeline a little clearer for casual fans.

Well, now that Thor has arrived a little early in some countries, so has Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant.

Recommended Videos

The four-minute film posted by Twitter user antovolk bridges the gap between Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk, and shows a meeting between S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and a fellow agent, Jasper Sitwell (played by Maximiliano Hernandez). The pair discuss plans for the “Avengers Initiative” and Coulson reveals some distressing news: The government wants Incredible Hulk villain Emil “The Abomination” Blonsky for the team.

Neither the agents nor S.H.I.E.L.D. head honcho Nick Fury want Blonsky on the team, so the pair discuss how to best derail plans to include the murderous behemoth on the squad. After a funny exchange in which Sitwell offers his considerable talents at playing patsy in the affair, they agree that the best plan is to bring in someone with the potential to completely ruin their relationship with Blonsky’s current caretaker, General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross.

Their choice? “The consultant” — better known as Iron Man himself, Tony Stark.

The film then offers an extended look at the post-credits scene from The Incredible Hulk in which Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) tracks down General Ross (William Hurt) in a bar and the two get off to a bad start in their conversation. The film then cuts back to Coulson and Stilwell, who reveal that their plan went even better than they’d imagined.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Watch Yellowstone season 5, episode 11: release date, time, channel, and plot
A man and woman stand across and face each other.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2 wasted no time addressing Kevin Costner's departure. John Dutton is dead, and now his children are in an all-out war. On one side, Jamie (Wes Bentley) is plotting to take over his father's position as governor of Montana. On the other side, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes) are looking into how their father died, with Beth convinced that Jamie orchestrated the murder.

With only four episodes remaining, Taylor Sheridan still has many loose ends to tie up. Something tells us that John won't be the only Dutton to die this season. Find out how to watch the next episode of Yellowstone below.
Yellowstone season 5, episode 11: release date, time, and channel
This Season on Yellowstone | Paramount Network

Read more
3 Netflix shows we can’t wait to see in December 2024
Two people sit in a car in Black Doves.

It's hard to believe December is just around the corner. It seems like it was only yesterday that I was watching Twisters in the movie theater and enjoying the warm summer weather. Now, I have to stress out about traveling for the holidays and shopping for loved ones.

As an escape, I tend to turn to Netflix to find my next latest binge-worthy series. And the streamer's December lineup looks like it won't disappoint. From a British spy show to a black comedy about a desirable L.A. home, Netflix might be saving its best shows for last in 2024.

Read more
Get Glicked: 3 great double features like Wicked and Gladiator 2 you need to watch
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in Wicked and Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal in Gladiator II.

Movie industry executives are sanguine that this weekend’s releases of Wicked and Gladiator II can provide a repeat of last summer’s “Barbenheimer” box office miracle. Some have even, optimistically, nicknamed the future phenomenon “Glicked.”

It seems Hollywood’s plan for the future is the juxtaposition of films that are monumentally different in tone. It's a return to the "double features" that were once regularly booked in America's theaters. If you’re looking for similarly incongruous double bills, look no further.
'Melancholia and Coronets': Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) and Melancholia (2011)

Read more