Whedon says that his emotional reaction to his most Marvel-ous year also included “a little bit of anger.” He elaborates: “I’ve had a wonderful career, and I’m grateful for it. But like every writer in Hollywood, there have been many times where I’ve said, ‘I swear to God, if you just me do this the way I’m thinking of doing it, it’ll work out!’ and I’ve been thwarted.” The success of The Avengers, then, felt like validation, but also exposed his need for validation… as well as a deep, dark want to avenge old grievances with black magic necromancy. “Once you get to this place, where people will listen to you, give you the benefit of the doubt, and will get out of your way, all of the stuff you’ve learned to live with and tamped down, you don’t need to live with it anymore” – and here, he goes spooky voice to evoke an image of summoning ancient demons – “and so the basement door opens … and you go down into there … and read from the diary that raises the dead.” He laughs. “It’s a weird little counter-intuitive thing.”
In retrospect, Whedon sees his anger — about life in general, not just old Hollywood slights — reflected in The Avengers, and specifically in one of the film’s best-realized characters: The Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo. “What was most astonishing to me about making that movie was how personal it was,” he says. “I literally had the I’m-always-angry revelation during production. I had this certain amount of back-burner simmer of rage that I was completely aware of, but apparently I wrote it for Bruce Banner, going (to myself): ‘I think this is what a guy like this might go through!’ Interesting! What guy, Joss? ‘I don’t know! Some guy. I can’t think of anyone in particular, or why this is coming to me…’ Really, Joss? Really?”
To be clear: Whedon thinks going totally Loki is a thing to be avoided. “For the most part, I’m psyched. But you have to be careful that self-righteous umbrage doesn’t determine how you act around people, or how you behave artistically,” he says. “You don’t want to be the guy who’s like: ‘OF COURSE I’M RIGHT! I’VE ALWAYS BEEN RIGHT ALL ALONG!” And then suddenly, you’re making your worst stuff, because you’ve lost that checks-and-balances thing you need to manage yourself.”