12 times ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ revealed future Marvel movie plots

In the wake of “Captain America: The Winter Solider,” HitFix speculated on future Marvel movies based on the information in the film. Some of those educated guesses have come to pass, some are still up in the air, and none of them have been proven (completely) false.

Buoyed by this, I”m taking the plunge again with “Avengers: Age of Ultron” because by golly this movie was PACKED with future story threads just waiting to be followed down the rabbit hole of comic book lore.

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR “AGE OF ULTRON” AND POSSIBLY FUTURE MARVEL MOVIES BEYOND THIS POINT. I AM NOT JOKING.

#1: Introducing Dr. Helen Cho could mean the Greek gods are on their way to the MCU.

Back when I first speculated on who Claudia Kim was playing, Dr. Helen Cho didn”t even register as an option. And why would she? In the comics, Helen is merely the fridged mother of Amadeus Cho, the 7th smartest man in the world. Known as Mastermind Excello, Amadeus was a friend to Hulk and hid from registration during the event of “Civil War.” The most interesting thing about Helen”s son though is his long friendship and travels with Hercules (yes, THAT one). Retconning Amadeus”s genius intellect into his mother could mean she will also take up his other mantles as a champion for Bruce Banner and a opponent of Superhuman Registration. It could also mean the Norse gods will soon have some company.

#2: Andy Serkis is Ulysses Klaue aka Ulysses “Klaw.”

There was a good reason Marvel tried to keep Andy Serkis” “Age of Ultron” role under wraps. His reveal as Ulysses Klaue sets in motion the events of “Black Panther.” In the comics, Klaw is an arms dealer and assassin with a grudge against T”Challa”s father that culminates in the King of Wakanda”s death. I highly doubt Ulysses would just be chilling on an abandoned freighter if he”d already completed this mission in the MCU. Having Ultron sever Klaue”s arm in a fit of pique removes the “experimented on by the Belgium government” plot with an expedited “I welded an awesome sonic gun onto my flesh” reveal to be made, probably during “Black Panther.”

#3: The photographs of the brunette in Ulysses” office are a mystery.

Ulysses Klaw does not have family. There was his father, a former WWII Nazi war criminal, and his great-grandfather who was killed in Wakanda, both of whom are deceased. So who is that girl in the photographs? The camera lingered too many times and for too long for her to not matter. Perhaps SHE is the reason the MCU version of Klaw hates Wakanda so much?

#4: The Twins aren”t Inhuman.

If you”ve been following along with “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” you know that Marvel is putting all their ‘powered people” eggs in the Inhuman basket, since they legally can”t use mutants. The most recent episodes introduced the concept of the Terrigen crystals and Terrigen mists which activate the Inhuman genes lying dormant in their Earth-born species. The results are superhuman powers that range from controlling the vibrations of objects to teleportation to precognition and more. With “Civil War” on deck, it seemed logical that HYDRA had somehow used the Terrigen crystals to activate Inhuman genes in Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. But that”s not what they were doing at all. Somehow HYDRA used the Mind Gem encased in Loki”s scepter to give the Maximoff twins superpowers.

But they aren”t Inhuman. We learn in “Age of Ultron” that the twins volunteered for the project after their parents were killed in a bombing raid. On “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” we know HYDRA has failed to duplicate the process with any of the Inhuman subjects. All of them have died. Whatever science-magic is in the Terrigen mists that activates the ‘enhanced” powers of the Inhumans is clearly incompatible with the Mind Gem”s powers.

So are Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver merely human? Or something else?

#5: Tony and Steve are headed for a break-up.

Iron Man and Captain America are headed for a messy bro-divorce (brovorce?). Their scuffle over Vision during “Age of Ultron” was merely the preliminary for the battle royale that is “Captain America 3: Civil War.” But what exactly will they be fighting about? Without mutants, the current MCU is fairly lacking in super-powered people. Nearly everyone whom would be affected by the Superhuman Registration Act is already on the U.S. government”s radar. There was speculation that the Inhumans would be unleashed by the end of “Age of Ultron,” leading to distrust and panic among the populace. This storyline is still possible, but it leaves all the heavy lifting of seeding the Earth with Inhumans to “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” before “Civil War” hits theaters. Is that a path Marvel would take?

#6: Thor and the Spirit Pool.

Due to the nature of editing, the mysterious woman in the cave from the trailer was not in the final cut. Yet she was obviously standing in front of the same mystical pool that Thor and Selvig visit in order to complete Thor's vision of the end of the world. Using a little deduction, it would seem this magical water source is in Wakanda. Based on the shininess of that ore, it wouldn”t be a surprise if Thor took a dip in a Vibranium-laced pool at the base of the sacred mountain.

#7: Welcome to Hel, no Hell.

Speaking of Thor”s vision, there”s a distinct possibility Heimdall was being literal about Thor taking them all to Hel. As in the realm ruled by Hela, not the Christian place of fire and burning. Loki and his alleged daughter have already attempted to start Ragnarok in the comics. Seeing as that”s the title of the third “Thor” film, a betting man would guess Hela is the be-cloaked person in Thor”s vision. Now, how Thor will lead them all to Hel remains to be seen, but his comic counterpart has bargained his own life for Lady Sif”s with Hela in the past.

#8: That Red Room graduation ceremony.

During a moment of vulnerability in “Age of Ultron,” Black Widow confesses to Bruce Banner that she can never have children. As part of “graduation” from the Red Room Academy, all assassins are sterilized to keep them from ever loving something more than the mission. It”s a shocking and sad revelation, but it probably isn”t the whole story. Whether Natasha knows that is up for debate. But the imagery of the ballet school and target practice interlaced with imagery of medical procedures and assassinations confirm what “Agent Carter” laid the groundwork for: the Black Widows were brainwashed. Julie Delpy”s Madame B character bears a striking resemblance to Dr. Kudrin. If Natasha doesn”t have the Russian equivalent of Super-Soldier Serum coursing through her veins, I”ll eat my hat.

#9: Meet Laura Barton.

While Miles Morales might be the most recognizable name to come out of Earth-1610 (Marvel”s Ultimate Universe), he”s not the only character created for this alternate reality. Not by a long shot. Laura Barton might not be as well-known as Kate Bishop or Bobbi Morse, but she managed the one thing none of Clint Barton”s other loves have…she stayed happily married to him. Right up until the slaughter at the farmhouse. Send a prayer up the MCU gods that they are benevolent enough to save the Barton family from this tragic fate.

#10: Scarlet Witch and Vision, sitting in a tree…

It”s only for a moment, but when Vision saves Scarlet Witch from falling, there”s that flash of heat. You know the one. The one where, in the Golden Age of Hollywood, the music would have swelled to signify these people were going to fall in love. Will such a human emotion cloud Vision”s ability to do the right thing in future films?

#11: Two Infinity Gems left to find.

We”ve got the Mind Gem, the Tesseract, the Aether, and the Power Gem. Four down, two to go. Kevin Feige confirmed the Tesseract is the Space Gem. But the Aether is still unnamed and the orange and green gems have yet to turn up. If we”re making educated guesses, the Soul Gem will probably be attached to “Doctor Strange,” and the Aether is most likely the Time Gem. That leaves the Reality Gem as the wild card, destined to show up sometime before the end credits roll on “Infinity War Part I.”

#12: Vision and Thanos are gonna fight.

Vision has the Mind Gem in his forehead. Thanos needs the Mind Gem in his gauntlet to take over the universe. You do the math.