In the first place, I went into this movie handicapped by two things. The first was a general ignorance of the comic book. The second, unfortunately, was a cursory familiarity with Norse mythology.

- Finally, as they did in the Iron Man movies, they appear to be setting up an Avengers film. Part of that included one of Agent Colson’s minions, who, when told they needed a shooter on overwatch when Thor breaks into their camp to get his hammer back, deliberately selects a bow and arrows instead of a gun. When it’s RAINING. He has about one line of distinctive dialogue, aside from tactical jargon, and was played by Jeremy Renner, who last I noticed was starring in movies, not taking single-line roles the movie would not miss if his every line and frame was cut. This strongly suggests he’s being set up for the Avengers, whom I am fairly certain had an archer character. The question I have to ask is WHY? I am recalling this guy from an ad in Marvel comics when I was a kid (Transformers & GI Joe comics) for a subscription offer, who was doing a William Tell on a blonde chick with comic books instead of apples. I also recall a Cracked.com article ridiculing obscure and useless superheroes citing him as useless because he had NO powers other than archery, and in one instance, when their butler was tied up by villains, demanded to be allowed to untie the man with a trick shot, rather than let someone sane use their non-sharp hands. So of the various characters a superhero team would have had over the last fifty years, they are going with an archer with no superpowers. Unless he’s also a qualified ninja, genius detective, and billionaire, he is not qualified to hang with Batman, let alone a Viking god, a rage-powered green monster & a man whose powered armor makes Johnny Rico and the Blood Ravens look like guys who settled for the buggy early versions of futuristic battle armor. Where on earth are they going to find an array of super villains who can provide a challenge to a god of thunder, the Hulk and a walking tank, and at the same time be beaten in a way that a non-powered archer can reasonably contribute? The Punisher could take this guy down without breaking a sweat! Do the cops and soldiers and Navy SEALS of the Marvel setting REALLY need help from a guy with a bow and arrows? Unless he is going to find the mystical bow of Apollo lying in a desert somewhere or invent a quantum nano-tech laser bow, why are they introducing this guy? They already have Samuel L Jackson as a badass type who can hang with superheroes just because of his big brass danglies. Adding a physically unprepossessing archer is just sad. Come to think of it, I have seen Jeremy Renner in five roles, and four of them could kick an archer’s ass. He played a SWAT cop who goes bad, a vampire who tears up a briefing room full of LAPD cops, a bank robber who uses automatic weapons and a bomb disposal technician in Iraq. The only guy the government archer could take out would be the drugged-out patient on House MD whose brain was messed up so all his music was discordant. Do you REALLY want an Avenger played by a role who could get beat up by all his other roles? How many Robert Downey Jr characters could take Iron Man? How many Ed Norton or Eric Bana characters could take the Hulk? You know why Daredevil flopped? Because I suspect that most of Ben Affleck’s characters could take the blind guy in leather ninja gear. If I was putting together an Avengers team, I would want the guard who went toe-to-toe with Thor for a couple of minutes before I recruit a guy who picks a bow over a gun when it’s raining and someone is tearing through your buddies single handedly. Do his arrows maybe explode like Scarlet’s crossbow or Lady Jaye’s spears on GI Joe?