Joss Whedon on super heroes, killing characters, and existing outside the pop culture mainstream. - General

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April 15 2015

Joss Whedon on super heroes, killing characters, and existing outside the pop culture mainstream. Q&A with Whedon from Mental Floss.

Waikowhai | General | 12:24 CET | 35 comments total | tags:

An interesting comment from Joss from this interview. "As far as the fiction of the movies, Coulson is dead." This could mean that the Avengers will never know Coulson is alive?

chrisobrien | April 15, 12:41 CET

Sif knows which means Thor probably knows so it depends. I gathered it simply isn't explicitly stated in the Ultron that Coulson is alive.

IrrationaliTV | April 15, 12:43 CET

Favorite quotes from this interview:

"And Dr. Horrible Two is very much in the mix."

"[All the Marvel films] have a place in my heart. Except Iron Man 2; it doesn’t have a place in my heart."

libradude | April 15, 12:55 CET

I'm sorry, I got stuck on the fact the author dressed as Dr. Horrible as a teenager. Time and it's insistent need on moving forward is really ticking me off.

... back to the reading...

NYPinTA | April 15, 13:03 CET

I got hung up on the same thing, NYPinTA.

Kiba | April 15, 13:13 CET

What would you guess is the median age of the posters here?

KissingToast | April 15, 13:30 CET

I'm guessing "not still in their early 20s". But that's as far as I'll attempt. ;)

NYPinTA | April 15, 13:42 CET

It's not uncommon for pop culture sites like that to have young writers/reporters. A quick peak at the author's website tells me she's 22. I would imagine many of us here are in our 20s and 30s.

libradude | April 15, 13:42 CET

"That’s enough time to binge-watch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."

No. That show is stupid, loud and obnoxious.

Enough to kill the characters in it, Whedon style *snickers*

Krusher | April 15, 13:46 CET

Ahem, 61 in less than a week thank you, and the gray hair to prove it. Joss appeals to a wide range of ages. Now you kids get off my lawn.

barboo | April 15, 13:52 CET

I love the bit about doing something new and original! I love Avengers, SHIELD, and Much Ado, but I also really want something new that is 100% from Joss' mind!

maxsummers | April 15, 13:53 CET

libradude said:

A quick peak at the author's website tells me she's 22. I would imagine many of us here are in our 20s and 30s.

42 this August. :P

Krusher | April 15, 13:59 CET

I'm sorry, I got stuck on the fact the author dressed as Dr. Horrible as a teenager.

Myself, I saw it as a clever pun. What was that about age, again? ;)

[ edited by brinderwalt on 2015-04-15 23:07 ]

brinderwalt | April 15, 14:04 CET

This is a great little interview, thanks.

And, you know, I loves me some Dr Horrible a whole lot (no really, I still host the website and tinker to keep it alive)... but I remember that feeling of discovering Joss had worked on a project called "DR HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG" via NPH in an interview, thinking "That's a wacky name!", speculating about it, joss posting about it, and thinking about what it all meant. What I'm basically saying is although it's the human condition to want more of the same, the comfort of the known... I want the unknown.

In a world where The X-Files and Twin Peaks are returning to TV, the only actual weird thing is going to be something new.

gossi | April 15, 14:35 CET

I agree, gossi. I want something completely new and foreign that makes me wonder, "what the hell is that?" Or more Marvel stuff. :)

IrrationaliTV | April 15, 15:01 CET

Yeah, personally I'm already ridiculously excited at the prospect of Joss announcing something none of us have any clue about... and which we still can't figure out after being told the title and concept. (Of course, this frame of mind is also how you decide that 'Goners' and 'The Serving Girl' are going to be your favourite films, and you're still waiting for them to be made...)

(As for age, I'm 22. I like to think I'm among the youngest fans who caught Buffy at the end of its original run.)

Bluelark | April 15, 15:04 CET

Well, there are several of us that skew the average age upwards quite a bit. I'll just admit to 60+. But then I was MUCH younger when I stumbled onto Whedonesque.

I, too, am looking forward to something new from Joss. I will be at the head of the line for the new Avengers, but I want to see what emerges from Joss's head full-grown (after he has a chance to reacquaint himself with his wife and kids, that is).

palehorse | April 15, 15:39 CET

I love a good sequel or reboot, but something truly original is even more fun. I love the sense of wondering what's going to happen next, and truly not knowing.

(Not a kid here, either. Good entertainment is for everyone.)

Scraggles | April 15, 16:26 CET

I enjoyed reading this: "I have this beautiful artistic void that I don’t get to have a lot." I wish I believed for a second that Joss will let himself lie fallow for very long...

(I'll be *gulp* 60 next month. #HowIsThatEvenFrakkingPossible I was 53 when I stumbled on to Whedonesque.)

QuoterGal | April 15, 16:33 CET

Why, QG you're still a young'un.

barboo | April 15, 17:05 CET

QuoterGal November for me

DaddyCatALSO | April 15, 17:24 CET

Not really sure how this thread turned into a discussion about age. There's no question that Joss's works appeal to every age group.

[ edited by libradude on 2015-04-16 03:10 ]

libradude | April 15, 18:07 CET

I'm 25, but I've been in the fandom for a long time. I think I first started posting at the Bronze during season three of Buffy, when I would've been around eight or nine years old.

Knuckleball | April 15, 18:11 CET

Same age here, Knuckleball--I never posted on the Bronze, but believe my first episode was Reptile Boy, live, at age 8.

A lovely interview, by the way! Particularly the Iron Man 2 line.

sumogrip | April 15, 18:48 CET

Originality is an illusion created by a lack of experience. As long as a story is told in an entertaining way I'll be happy (and joss has a very good track record on that front, so I'm not too worried.) Originality is one of the oldest cliches in existence.

brinderwalt | April 15, 19:56 CET

Iron man 2 just can't seem to catch a break. I know it's not a very good movie, but I still have fun watching it. For all its problems, it's got some redeeming lines and scenes. Anything with Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer, for example, is delightful. I was disappointed with the movie when I first saw it, and I imagine I'd be pretty salty if I'd seen it in theatres after months of anticipatory hype, but when I watch it now I can enjoy myself.
/derail
A fine interview, and I, too, am excited for what's next.

Trentaferd | April 15, 20:15 CET

Sif knows which means Thor probably knows so it depends. I gathered it simply isn't explicitly stated in the Ultron that Coulson is alive.

IrrationaliTV | April 15, 21:43 CET

If my memory serves, Coulson specifically asked Sif to keep the news to herself, and she agreed. So it's still possible that no one in the AoU realm knows, other than Fury and Hill. (Does Hill know that Fury is still around? All this could make for some interesting reveals in the future.)

tomg | April 15, 21:05 CET

#freegoners

NickSeng | April 15, 22:13 CET

Yes Hill knows Fury is alive.

eddy | April 16, 02:34 CET

32 this July, and I've been a Whedon fan for more than half of my life :D

BlueEyedBrigadier | April 16, 16:03 CET

Iron Man 2 wasn't a bad movie, and I'm sure Joss was joking with that comment. He seldom if ever seriously disses other people's work in public.

He gets in trouble with his dry wisecracks that don't always come across in print.

AndrewCrossett | April 16, 17:00 CET

I agree, AndrewCrosset. I'm not a big fan of Iron Man 2, to be honest, but I'm also sure J.W. was joking.

Nice interview! The interviewer didn't ask wildly original questions, but she asked good ones, to which she received excellent answers. I love the idea that Joss wants to come up with something NEW - good for him. I have totally enjoyed the Marvel movies, and I really, really loved Much Ado, but it will be great to see where he goes next. There was always a certain darkness to BtVS and Firefly and (heaven knows) Dollhouse. It'll be interesting to find out if we're going to see that again.

If we're doing the age thing, I ... OK, no. Let's just say I started watching Buffy during Season 2 when I had a new baby and was stuck at home with the television a lot, and that the baby is now 17. I'm thrilled to know we have a wide age range here. (Although there was a moment last weekend at a B&B when a fellow guest, 23, asked me, in all seriousness, "Who was Sid Vicious?" and I felt old old old.)

javelina | April 17, 10:16 CET

Maria Hill knows all the things.

javelina | April 17, 10:17 CET

My kids were Buffy fans in the original run. They're in their thirties.

Yeah.

redeem147 | April 17, 15:01 CET

Gawd, I feel old! But in my headcanon I'm still 29, so I'll just go with that.

Terrific little interview!

I am sooo looking forward to new Whedon creations.

punkinpuss | April 17, 18:11 CET

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