History TheAvengers / TropesEToL

TheAvengers/{{Tropes A to D}} | '''Tropes E to L''' | TheAvengers/{{Tropes M to P}} | TheAvengers/{{Tropes Q to Z}} | TheAvengers/TieIns | [[YMMV/TheAvengers YMMV]]

-->'''Stark:''' I did do the heavy lifting. Literally, I lifted heavy things.

This page covers tropes found in ''Film/TheAvengers''.

TheAvengers/TropesAToD | '''Tropes E To L''' | TheAvengers/TropesMToP | TheAvengers/TropesQToZ | TheAvengers/TieIns | [[YMMV/TheAvengers YMMV]]

'''WARNING: Spoilers from the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse earlier films]] are unmarked.'''

* EstablishingCharacterMoment:

** It's subtle, but Bruce Banner's humanity is the first thing established about him. When a little girl comes begging for his help healing her sick father, Banner's compassion overrides his better judgment; in fact, this is the bait Black Widow uses to draw him into their initial meeting. This moment is an extremely effective contrast with the jibes later in the movie about Banner being a "beast" or "monster."

* EvilBrit: Played straight with TomHiddleston's Loki, [[WellIntentionedExtremist subverted]] with the British member of the World Security Council, and averted with Jarvis. Also averted with Thor. Although ChrisHemsworth is Australian, Thor speaks with an RP accent (of varying quality).

* EvilWillFail:

** As well as Tony's comment that "There's no ''throne''".

* ExactWords:
** Captain America tells Thor to "put the hammer down." Thor puts the hammer down... On Captain America.

--->'''Control tower:''' "We have you on record but not on schedule; what is your haul?"\\
'''[[spoiler:Hawkeye]]:''' "Arms and ammunition."[[hottip:*: The brainwashed army then uses the arms to fill SHIELD agents with ammunition.]]

---> '''Stark:''' I'm not in. I'm ''actually'' out!

---> '''Stark:''' I did do the heavy lifting. Literally, I lifted heavy things.

* EyeScream:

* EyepatchOfPower: Nick Fury.

* FailedAttemptAtDrama:

** Thor throwing his weight around with Loki, ordering him to "Listen well, brother..." He doesn't get too far in his speech before Tony rockets into him and tackles him off the cliff.

-->'''Natasha Romanoff:''' Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian...or I ''was''.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: It goes by very quickly, but when the Hulk is fighting several Chitauri on a rooftop, he palms one guy's head and crushes his skull like a grape...

* {{Fanservice}}: Pretty much every character at some point either, if they're a lady, show off their behind in tight spandex, or if they're a dude, their chest in tight muscle shirts, or wears a suit that exposes their bare and toned arms. Can't claim its sexist, both genders give it out!
* FantasticRacism: Loki views humans as an inferior race meant for slavery. He sums up this opinion pretty succinctly when he and Thor are talking on the mountain when Thor:

* {{Fauxshadow}}: Come on, you know you thought the [[spoiler: Mjollnir/Cap's Shield shockwave trick]] was going to come in handy during the climax... but it doesn't.

* FightingFromTheInside:

** Some hints that this is happening to [[spoiler:Hawkeye]]. He shoots Fury in his armored vest, which Fury notes in a deleted scene. Also, when Loki asks him what the Tesseract showed him, he responds, "My next target" while looking at Loki.

* FiveManBand:
** TheLeader: Captain America. Type II in practice and Type IV in theory. It takes him a while, but eventually he realizes his good heart and tactical knowledge are what is needed to bring the team together.
** TheLancer: Iron Man. The total opposite of Captain America and the most resistant to being a team player. However, his loose cannon recklessness saves the day several times and conversely it is eventually he who benefits the most from having people watching his back.
** TheBigGuy: Thor is a [[BoisterousBruiser boisterous]] ProudWarriorRaceGuy. Between his SuperStrength, hammer, and ShockAndAwe powers he's strongest of the team. %%Tony is a normal human without his suit and Bruce better fits Smart Guy.
** TheSmartGuy: Bruce Banner was reassured he was recruited for his scientific expertise and that his purpose was to track the Tesseract. Aside from [[spoiler:the climax]] this is his purpose. Stark, also being a super-scientist, is a secondary example. The two of them bond over TechnoBabble.
** TheChick: Black Widow, by virtue of being the girl of the group, her ability to get to places where people don’t want her to be, and her use of emotions to manipulate villains. She's almost a heroic version of the DarkChick.
** TheSixthRanger: Hawkeye. [[spoiler:BrainwashedAndCrazy]] for most of the movie, but joins the team at the end for some payback. Appropriately he's a brooding, dark loner, and his ImprobableAimingSkills are ''awesome''.

* FlawExploitation:

** It's taken to ridiculous extremes with Tony to the point where it's not just that he stands in [[IncrediblyLamePun stark]] contrast with every other main character, but even with '''''himself''''', (Tony at the beginning vs. Tony at the end)
*** Bruce Banner vs. Tony Stark: Both are genius-level scientists, and harbor mutual respect for each other. While both have a dark side, they are completely different personality-wise. Bruce is, by necessity, mild-mannered and cautious to control his id, while Tony's flamboyance and irreverence are the tip of his self-destructive decadence.
*** Tony Stark vs. Steve Rogers: Apart from being tied by family history, both are motivated by a sense of American patriotism and a desire to end wars and bring peace to the world. But Tony and Steve are completely different in terms of temperament and modus operandi, and Steve has uneasy memories of having worked with Tony's father. According to Creator/RobertDowneyJr, Tony has heard so much about Steve from his dad that he's like a big brother he can never live up to. Also noted is that Steve and Tony are the two main benefactors of Howard's legacy: Steve couldn't have received the Super Soldier Formula without Howard (he wouldn't have even met Dr. Erskine if he hadn't watched Howard's performance), while Tony inherited everything from his father.
**** In an odd contrast, going back to their origin movies, how they received their powers and what they had before them are on the opposite ends of the spectrum: Steve had no physical resources, but had the moral and personality traits necessary for super-heroism, and was handed the Super Soldier Formula on a platter. Tony, who was given a lot of outside resources but nothing internally, didn't just have to build his armor, but he also had to create the whole superhero mindset from his previous status as a "genius billionaire playboy philanthropist". On top of that, Steve received his powers because he wanted to go from his life to the front lines, while Tony built his so he could escape for his life from the front lines! Heck, even the scientific workshops where their powers began; Steve's was nicely furnished, clean, run by a government agency, while Tony's was '''''in a cave with a box of scraps'''''. Then there's the chase post-lab shootings, Steve's running to catch an enemy and with Tony, the enemy is chasing him!\\
\\

** Thor vs. Steve Rogers: Both are old-fashioned in ideals and aesthetics, initially felt ill at ease on modern Earth, and are driven by a sense of duty before their homeland. Still, both find it difficult to comprehend each other - they are two very different kinds of old-fashioned, after all. They also share a lack of understanding of modern idioms.
** Thor and Steve's origins are also from opposite directions. Thor was born into power and privilege, a spoilt, proud, but well-meaning child, abusing his strength as a bully. Steve was a sickly, skinny little orphan from Brooklyn, weak and poor, but possessing an unshakeable sense of justice, standing up against those he felt needed standing up to despite his weakness. Thor was stripped of his gifts and learned humility. Steve gained strength and never changed from who he was.

** Natasha Romanoff vs. [[{{Hawkeye}} Clint Barton]]: Secret agents with {{Dark And Troubled Past}}s, a sense of chilly professionalism, and a deep, long-standing friendship originating when [[{{Hawkeye}} Clint]] made a choice that perhaps Natasha wouldn't have.

---> '''Tony:''' "You're a lab experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** When Loki is being led to his prison onboard SHIELD's airship, he briefly smirks at [[spoiler:Bruce Banner]]. Guess what his insurance plan for escaping is?

** One for ''Film/IronMan 3'' with [[spoiler: Tony testing out a new device that'll allow him to call his suit to him in case of long distance emergency. He expands upon it in the third film.]]

* FreezeFrameBonus:

* FunnyBackgroundEvent:

* GenerationXerox: Captain America's initial dislike and butting heads with Tony Stark mirrors the relationship he had with his father, Howard.
** Although not as unrealistic as it's usually done, since Tony displays a lot of his father's quirks and attitude.
* GeniusBruiser: Captain America, both a SuperSoldier and a brilliant strategist (or at least, a very competent field soldier), as the final scene shows.

* GenreSavvy:

** Tony eventually figures out that Loki's [[spoiler: set up the Tesseract at the top of Stark Tower because of Loki's ego]].
** Stark and Banner collaborate theirs to figure out the truth about what SHIELD wants with the Tesseract. Being a organization of spies, they ''must'' have some kind of hidden purpose.
--->'''Steve:''' You think he's holding something back from us?\\
'''Tony:''' He's a ''spy''. He's ''the'' spy. His ''secrets'' have secrets.

--->'''Thor:''' Loki is a prisoner.\\

** And during the battle in New York, [[spoiler:Hawkeye switches around the arrowhead of the arrow he shoots at Loki, just in case he manages to catch it]]. He's actually witnessed Loki's physical speed and senses firsthand at the start of the movie, so he knows that [[spoiler: it is entirely possible Loki could catch the arrow]].

* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: In an astonishing display of GenreSavvy during the final battle, Thor (between trading blows) tries to make Loki realize that even if the invasion succeeds, [[YouHaveOutLivedYourUsefulness it's highly unlikely that the bad guys he's working for will allow Loki to rule the Earth afterwards]].
** Steve does a subtle one to Tony when the latter, not having Cap's combat experience or training, is having a HeroicBSOD over [[spoiler: Coulson's death]].
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:

* AGodAmI:
** Loki has developed a full-blown god complex - which is rather appropriate, given that, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Asgardians]] were mistaken for and [[NorseMythology worshiped as gods]].
--->'''Black Widow:''' They're basically gods.\\

** [[spoiler: Loki later tries to give his AGodAmI speech to the Hulk. Let's just say he won't be doing that again anytime soon]].

* GoodIsNotDumb: Captain America, who despite his belief in doing the right thing and following orders, knows as much as anyone there's something insidious about SHIELD's "phase two" program.

* GoodGunsBadGuns: SHIELD agents are mostly armed with Glock pistols and [=M4A1=] carbines. Bad guys use a mix and match collection of weapons that wouldn't look out of place in your average [[VideoGame/ModernWarfare MW2]] match or, in the case of the aliens, high-tech blasters.
** TheReveal of Phase 2 being [[spoiler: the reverse engineering and development of weapons based on [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger HYDRA technology]]]] serves to sow quite a bit of discord amongst the heroes, partly due to them being left in the dark about this plan. Captain America and Thor in particular are very upset by this, for different reasons.

* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:Loki would like that drink now, thank you]].
* GreenAesop: This is central to the plot. The Tesseract is a clean power-source, Stark Tower runs on self-sustaining energy, and so on. Although, one of the key fights of the film ends up [[CueIrony leveling half a forest]]. It also causes severe complications at the climax - self-sustaining energy is hard to just switch off.

* HannibalLecture: Loki's ''other'' favorite tactic; he was ''loving'' the chance to tear apart Black Widow from inside his cell.
** This is also Black Widow's prefered method of interogation: get captured, act vulnerable and nail her 'captor' with information they felt comfortable enough to share with their 'victim'.

* HeroStoleMyBike: The Avengers snag a SHIELD quinjet to take to the final battle. An agent mentions they are unauthorized, but Captain America quickly shuts him up.

* HeroicSacrifice:

* HoistByHisOwnPetard:

* HoldingTheFloor:
** Fury attempts it against Loki during the opening sequence. Later, Tony Stark's borderline CloudCuckooLander monologue when he first arrives on the Helicarrier [[spoiler:successfully distracts the group while he slips his hacking device onto a nearby computer]].

* HowDareYouDieOnMe: Tony takes [[spoiler:Agent Phil Coulson]]'s Heroic Sacrifice ''really'' badly, calling him an idiot for facing Loki alone and hopelessly outmatched.

* HumansAreWarriors:

--->'''Tony:''' You're missing the point — there's no throne, there is ''no'' version of this where you come out on top. ''Maybe'' your army comes, and ''maybe'' it's too much for us, but it's all on ''you''... 'Cause if we can't protect the Earth, you can be ''damn'' sure we'll avenge it.

* HurtingHero:
** Captain America, as seen in his first onscreen appearance. He's seventy years out of his own time, everything he's ever known is gone, and nothing in the world makes sense to him anymore. Also, super-serum or not, the war took its toll on him.
*** A deleted scene shows how out of time he is as he tries to wander around modern New York City. Whedon cut it because a) it made Cap's character too complicated (by throwing him out of time ''and'' giving him PTSD), and b) because the line of punching bags in the gym is more than enough to show [[ShellShockedVeteran exactly what he's going through anyway]].

'''Thor:''' ([[{{Beat}} hesitantly]]) ...He's adopted.

* ICannotSelfTerminate: Bruce Banner, literally (he mentioned that he tried to commit suicide by [[AteHisGun orally shooting himself]] once, but he went Hulk and spat the bullet out).

'''Thor:''' ([[{{Beat}} hesitantly]]) ...He's adopted.

* IcyBlueEyes:
** A visible effect of Loki's brainwashing. Everyone under its influence is suitably cold and ruthless, except for Selvig whose more ForScience

* ImportedAlienPhlebotinum: The Tesseract in general. [[spoiler: The remains of the Destroyer]], as well.

* ImprobableAimingSkills:
** Hawkeye's special power is his improbable accuracy with a bow. He manages to land a USB arrow into a computer, curve an explosive arrow around a ship to hit from the other side, and hits speeding enemy planes without even looking at them. Hawkeye later nails a Chitauri on one of their hovercraft while looking in the ''[[OffhandBackhand complete opposite direction.]]''
** In one scene, Hawkeye is targeting some Chitauri chasing after Iron Man. If you notice, his bow is angled in a slightly different direction from where he's looking as he pans to track his targets. This is because he's ''leading the target''.

* InherentlyFunnyWords: Shawarma.
-->'''Tony:''' "I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it."
* InsistentTerminology: Bruce Banner does not turn into the Hulk. He turns into "the other guy." All the other characters continue to refer to his alter ego as the Hulk, however, and Bruce himself slips up once before correcting himself. This is likely SpeakOfTheDevil -- Banner doesn't want to give the Hulk any extra power.

* InvisibilityCloak: A partial one. The underbelly of the SHIELD Helicarrier displays the sky above the ship, making it invisible to ground-based observation.
* IronicEcho:

--> '''Tony''': Give yourself 12%.\\
(a bit later, when Agent Coulson interrupts them)\\
'''Tony''': I thought we were having a moment\\
'''Pepper''': I was having 12% of a moment.

** When Loki first appears, Fury tries to defuse the situation by saying "We have no quarrel with your people": Loki responds "An ant has no quarrel with a boot." When Loki is captive on the Helicarrier, Fury says that one button is all it will take to jettison the cell, Loki included, and remarks (pointing at Loki) "Ant..." (points at button) "...Boot."

** "Put on the suit." Takes on a new meaning when [[spoiler: Banner swiftly and painlessly transforms into The Hulk]].

* JerkassHasAPoint: Black Widow's reaction when Cap asks what Tony is without his armor and he answers "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist".
** And not long after, Tony to Steve "You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle". Harsh but true, compared to Tony and Banner's intelligence-derived powers and Black Widow and Hawkeye being trained, Cap's power was handed to him for being a NiceGuy.
*** Also could be [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation interpreted]] as Tony failing to see that it's not Cap's powers that make him special, it's his noble resolve.
* JumpScare:
** The Hulk popping up out of nowhere and roaring at Natasha.

* JustPlaneWrong: If you look at the scene where the SHIELD F-35-lookalike jet is firing its guns, you'll see that the muzzle flashes are coming out of the jet intakes--an enormously bad idea as 1) you don't want to reduce the amount of air you can intake by having guns in there, and 2) you'll send the spent shells [[TurbineBlender right into the jet engine]].

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Agent Coulson]].
** Although he'll [[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=41604 somehow manage to be back]] for ''Series/SHIELD''. Hey, it's a Marvel comic.
* KillTheCutie: This being a Joss Whedon production, we should have known that [[spoiler: Coulson taking a level in adorkable by fanboying over Captain America]] was not going to end well.

* KubrickStare: TomHiddleston seems to have this down to a fine art, especially the first time we see him.

* LeParkour: Cap engages in this when New York becomes a war zone and the streets are littered with cars and debris.

* {{Leitmotif}}:

** Invoked by Stark when he flies in during the Captain / Loki fight. The stereo of the SHIELD helicopter overhead is commandeered by Stark, and seconds before he shows up, 'Shoot to Thrill' starts playing. It probably wouldn't count if Stark hadn't intentionally played the same song in his first scene in ''Iron Man 2''.
* LensmanArmsRace: Thor states that SHIELD's experiments with the Tesseract have started one: it's the equivalent of an otherwise unremarkable postage stamp in Eastern Europe or Africa suddenly getting a nuclear reactor [[spoiler:and with their efforts to reverse-engineer HYDRA's weaponry, nuclear ''weapons'']]. Once Earth re-ignited the Tesseract, it was no longer an InsignificantLittleBluePlanet in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_World_Factbook CIA Galactic Factbook]] - it's now a potential ''rival''. And when [[spoiler:the Avengers wiped out an entire force of Chitauri and thus earned Thanos' attention, it was equivalent to said postage stamp wiping out a Spetsnaz unit and thus earning ''Stalin's'' attention!]]
* LetsGetDangerous: Invoked by Nick Fury at the end, that Earth is no longer an insignificant little fish in the galactic pond;

* LetsYouAndHimFight:

* LogoJoke:

* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: After Captain America breaks up the fight between Tony Stark and Thor and tries to convince Thor to "put the hammer down", Thor acts on those words by smashing Captain America with it. Captain America blocks it with his shield, which indeed protects him from a blow from the hammer of a Norse god - by reflecting the force of the blow in all directions in a shockwave that levels everything in the immediate area.

* FateWorseThanDeath: The Chitauri have something special planned for Loki, should he fail to fork over the Tesseract.

* GeniusBruiser: Captain America, both a SuperSoldier and a brilliant strategist, as the final scene shows.

'''Tony:''' He's ''the'' spy! His secrets have secrets!
** Captain America realizes Loki gave up far too easily.

* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: In an astonishing display of GenreSavvy during the final battle, Thor (between trading blows) tries to make Loki realize that even if the invasion succeeds, [[YouHaveOutLivedYourUsefulness it's highly unlikely that the bad guys he's working for will allow Loki to rule the Earth afterwards]].

* FantasticRacism: Loki views humans as an inferior race meant for slavery. He sums up this opinion pretty succinctly when he and Thor are talking on the mountain:

*** Also could be interpreted as Tony failing to see that it's not Cap's powers that make him special, it's his noble resolve.

* JustYouAndMeAndMyGuards: "Just the two of us, huh?" He's surrounded by S.H.E.I.L.D agents.

* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: Front and center.

* EpicTrackingShot: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y69kGmPeHw0 Required]] for such an [[SceneryGorn epic moment in New York City]]. It starts with Black Widow on the back of a Chitauri on a hovercraft, controlling him. Iron Man flies by her and he blasts a couple of aliens on the ground. He lands next to and fights alongside Captain America, then flies up the side of a building where Hawkeye is on the roof fighting off aliens. He shoots an arrow and the camera follows it as it hits a Chitauri sled. It falls and a Leviathan smashes into it. Aboard it the Hulk and Thor are together fighting aliens. The Hulk rips off a big piece of shell off of the Leviathan and stabs the top of it, and Thor summons lightning and then hammers it in. This brings the Leviathan crashing into Grand Central Station. The two later stand on the defeated Leviathan for a moment, catching their breath, [[spoiler:only for Hulk [[FriendlyRivalry to punch Thor off the Leviathan]].]]

* ExplosionsInSpace: Done correctly at the end of the film. [[spoiler:The nuke Tony steers into the Chitauri mothership detonates as an expanding sphere, with no mushroom cloud or PlanarShockwave.]]

** [[spoiler:Hawkeye, while BrainwashedAndCrazy,]] has a decidedly blunt approach to bypassing retinal scanners, and Loki is happy to oblige him.

** Loki's dramatic failure to deliver a climactic brainwashing to Tony thanks to the latter's [[spoiler:miniature arc reactor.]]

'''Loki:''' [[CaptainObvious Well, yes.]]

** It's taken to ridiculous extremes with Tony to the point where it's not just that he stands in [[IncrediblyLamePun stark]] contrast with every other main character, but even with HIMSELF, (Tony at the beginning vs. Tony at the end)

**** In an odd contrast, going back to their origin movies, how they received their powers and what they had before them are on the opposite ends of the spectrum: Steve had no physical resources, but had the moral and personality traits necessary for super-heroism, and was handed the Super Soldier Formula on a platter. Tony, who was given a lot of outside resources but nothing internally, didn't just have to build his armor, but he also had to create the whole superhero mindset from his previous status as a "genius billionaire playboy philanthropist". On top of that, Steve received his powers because he wanted to go from his life to the front lines, while Tony built his so he could escape for his life from the front lines! Heck, even the scientific workshops where their powers began; Steve's was nicely furnished, clean, run by a government agency, while Tony's was IN A CAVE WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS. Then there's the chase post-lab shootings, Steve's running to catch an enemy and with Tony, the enemy is chasing him!\\

** A very subtle one in the beginning: [[spoiler:Barton shoots Fury on the chest, even though he would have normally been able to hit him on the head. It shows that Loki's MindControl is not 100% perfect. Later it turns out that the brainwashed Selvig was able to install a backdoor to turn off the Tesseract and the portal.]]
** Loki's new staff that was given to him by the Chitauri's leader. With its distinctive blue gem and mind control powers hints that it is [[spoiler:the mind gem from the Infinity Gauntlet and that the leader is Thanos.]]

** And during the battle in New York, [[spoiler:Hawkeye switches around the arrowhead of the arrow he shoots at Loki, just in case he manages to catch it.]] He's actually witnessed Loki's physical speed and senses firsthand at the start of the movie, so he knows that [[spoiler: it is entirely possible Loki could catch the arrow]].

** [[spoiler: Loki later tries to give his AGodAmI speech to the Hulk. Let's just say he won't be doing that again anytime soon.]]

* GodzillaThreshold: Fury states that the events of ''Thor'' proving humanity wasn't alone in the universe prompted S.H.I.E.L.D. to initiate Phase Two in the event that a hostile alien threat attacked Earth and crossed the threshold. Later, [[spoiler:the WSC decides to go ahead and nuke Manhattan, in the event that the Avengers can't force the Chitauri back.]] Also discussed by Loki and Nick Fury.

** Averted by Coulson, who is amicable, polite, and gets along with every other member of the team. [[spoiler:So of course, he was TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth.]]
* GoodIsNotSoft: Steve Rogers is a nice, lovable guy and the only straight-up hero who will rip the arms off invading Chitauri and [[spoiler:is ready to sacrifice Tony if necessary to save the Earth.]]

* HeelFaceTurn: Subverted. In the fight between Thor and Loki, Loki starts to do this, but it turns out [[spoiler:he was just playing Thor's emotions to get the upper hand in the fight.]]
* HeHadAName: And it was [[spoiler:Phil.]]

** [[spoiler:Tony eventually does attempt this, and while he ''does'' survive his heroic act of driving a nuke into space, he did it accepting that he may die.]]

** Loki's scepter [[spoiler:serves as a tool for shutting down the portal to the other dimension.]]

** Fury attempts it against Loki during the opening sequence. Later, Tony Stark's borderline CloudCuckooLander monologue when he first arrives on the Helicarrier [[spoiler:successfully distracts the group while he slips his hacking device onto a nearby computer.]]

* HonorBeforeReason: Captain America, while retaining his core sense of honor, averts this. Despite his initial insistence to Tony and Bruce that they should trust in their orders, [[spoiler:Cap does take their skepticism seriously, and does some off-book investigating of his own. He ends up ''beating Tony to the punch'' in calling out Fury.]]

** Captain America [[spoiler:takes Loki in one on one combat. Though he manages to throw in a few quips and put up a decent fight, he's on the losing end before Iron Man shows up.]]
** Nick Fury [[spoiler:turns Loki's previous retort about how "an ant has no quarrel with a boot" on its head by locking him in an enormous cage and declaring himself the "boot".]]
** Black Widow [[spoiler:has a battle of the minds with Loki and uncovers his agenda while seemingly unfazed by Loki's HannibalLecture, but it ultimately does nothing to hinder Loki's EvilPlan, and it's later shown that Loki ''did'' get under her skin.]]
** Coulson [[spoiler:is fatally stabbed by Loki, but bravely tells him that Loki is doomed to fail. As the latter tries to retort, Coulson shoots him through the wall.]]
** Iron Man [[spoiler:likewise has a lecture battle with Loki, then is immune to his attacks. Both succeed, as Loki's {{plan}} follows through and Tony is only stalling, but Loki's VillainousBreakdown begins.]]
** Thor [[spoiler:is outsmarted by Loki earlier but when the two fight in the climax, he maintains the upper hand, forcing Loki to flee.]]
** Hawkeye [[spoiler:fires an arrow at Loki's glider, which the latter [[ArrowCatch catches in midair]] before it explodes and sends him flying.]]
** The Hulk [[spoiler:grabs Loki mid-monologue and beats him into the ground. Many times, in rapid succession, with one brief pause before continuing.]]
** When confronted with the entire team together, [[spoiler:Loki doesn't even bother resisting.]]

** Hawkeye, especially [[spoiler:after being freed from his brainwashing.]] If he's lucky, he's going to be having nightmares for a while.

* IDontWantToDie: Subverted. When [[spoiler:Tony Stark]] sacrifices himself to save New York, he does so completely calmly and professionally, without a fuss, hesitation, or even any kind of acknowledgement or last words other than trying (unsuccessfully) to call his girlfriend to say goodbye. However, the expression of sheer, naked terror on his face as he flies himself into space through the portal, where he knows he will die, effectively serves this trope's purpose anyway. [[spoiler:Tony survives just barely.]]

* ISurrenderSuckers: [[spoiler:Loki gets captured and taken to the Helicarrier. He then uses this as a distraction while his men attack the Helicarrier and set up the Tesseract device right on top of Stark Tower.]]

** [[spoiler:Thanos has them as well.]]

* InstantAllegianceArtifact: The scepter Loki uses to brainwash [[spoiler:Hawkeye and Erik Selvig.]]
* InstantWinCondition: [[spoiler:Apparently, Chitauri all die if you blow up their command ship. The leading theory is that the Chitauri are somehow linked to their home-ship, similar to the Buggers in ''Literature/EndersGame''. And since the Leviathan ship seemed to be biologically related to the Chitauri themselves, this is entirely plausible.]] Joss Whedon notes in the commentary that he didn't particularly ''want'' to do this, but the movie was already two hours long and it was easier.

** Tony sarcastically remarking that Coulson's first name is "[[LastNameBasis Agent]]", then later, [[spoiler:"His name is Phil." Bonus points for it being said both times in the same room.]]
** "Put on the suit." Takes on a new meaning when [[spoiler: Banner swiftly and painlessly transforms into The Hulk.]]

* ItsPersonal: Tony theorizes that [[spoiler:this was Loki's purpose in attacking the Helicarrier while getting everyone to fight amongst themselves]]. He later congratulates Loki for making it this, as he's successfully managed to [[NiceJobFixingItVillain piss off every one of the Avengers.]]
* ItsTheOnlyWayToBeSure: The World Security Council decides to stop the Chitauri threat by [[spoiler:nuking Manhattan (''while the Avengers are still fighting there''). Fury dismisses this as a stupid idea and outright tries to prevent it. With a rocket launcher.]]

* KeystoneArmy: The Chitauri, apparently. [[spoiler:Once Iron Man nukes the mothership, all units on Earth cease functioning.]] Whedon has said that he wasn't happy about using it, but needed a way to skip the "cleanup" phase of the battle.

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Agent Coulson.]]

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler:After being blown up, beat down by Thor and the Hulk, and watching his army die, Loki wisely comes quietly.]]

** Also, the Hulk briefly chases Black Widow and tangles with Thor when he first "meets" the team. [[spoiler:Loki planned to use The Hulk to destroy the Helicarrier and all of his enemies along with it.]]

** Also seen at the end of the movie. [[spoiler:Stark Tower's "STARK" logo gets all the consonants removed during the final fight. What's left? A very stylish 'A', similar to the one in the classic "Avengers" logo.]]

* GodzillaThreshold: Fury states that the events of ''Thor'' proving humanity wasn't alone in the universe prompted S.H.I.E.L.D. to initiate Phase Two in the event that a hostile alien threat attacked Earth and crossed the threshold. Later, [[spoiler:the WSC decides to go ahead and nuke Manhattan, in the event that the Avengers can't force the Chitauri back.]]

* InstantAllegianceArtifact: The scepter Loki uses to brainwash Hawkeye and Erik Selvig.
* InstantWinCondition: [[spoiler:Apparently, Chitauri all die if you blow up their command ship. The leading theory is that the Chitauri are somehow linked to their home-ship, similar to the Buggers in ''Literature/EndersGame''. And since the leviathan ship seemed to be biologically related to the Chitauri themselves, this is entirely plausible.]] Joss Whedon notes in the commentary that he didn't particularly ''want'' to do this, but the movie was already two hours long and it was easier.

* InsistentTerminology: Bruce Banner does not turn into the Hulk. He turns into "the other guy." All the other characters continue to refer to his alter ego as the Hulk, however, and Bruce himself slips up once before correcting himself. This is likely a HeWhoShallNotBeNamed trope: Banner doesn't want to give the Hulk any extra power.

** The Hulk [[spoiler:grabs Loki mid-monologue and beats him into the ground.]]

** TheReveal of Phase 2 being [[spoiler: the reverse engineering and development of weapons based on [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger HYDRA technology]]]] serves to sew quite a bit of discord amongst the heroes, partly due to them being left in the dark about this plan. Captain America and Thor in particular are very upset by this, for different reasons.

**** In an odd contrast, going back to their origin movies, how they received their powers and what they had before them are on the opposite ends of the spectrum: Steve had no physical resources, but had the moral and personality traits necessary for super-heroism, and was handed the Super Soldier Formula on a platter. Tony, who was given a lot of outside resources but nothing internally, didn't just have to build his armor, but he also had to create the whole superhero mindset from his previous status as a "genius billionaire playboy philanthropist". On top of that, Steve received his powers because he wanted to go from his to the front lines, while Tony built his so he could escape for his live from the front lines! Heck, even the scientific workshops where their powers began; Steve's was nicely furnished, clean, run by a government agency, while Tony's was IN A CAVE WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS. Then there's the chase post-lab shootings, Steve's running to catch an enemy and with Tony, the enemy is chasing him!\\

** In his first five minutes, Loki slaughters half-a-dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, puts the mind control whammy on some main characters and steals the MacGuffin.

* HeroicSafeMode: A secondary trigger for the Hulk, in situations where Banner's life is in imminent danger. It proves a complication in [[DrivenToSuicide certain endeavors]].

TheAvengers/TropesAToD | '''Tropes E To L''' | TheAvengers/TropesMToP | TheAvengers/TropesQToZ | [[YMMV/TheAvengers YMMV]]

TheAvengers/TropesAToD | '''Tropes E To L''' | TheAvengers/TropesMToP | TheAvengers/TropesQToT | [[YMMV/TheAvengers YMMV]]