In the closing moments of The Avengers, Samuel L. Jackson, clothed in eye patch and black
trench coat as the ridiculously named Nick Fury, stands in front of a panel of
video screens with imposing faceless hand-wringing decision makers. One of them
asks, "Was that the point of all this? A statement?", Fury corrects
him, "A promise."
The council's question echoes the thoughts of the audience,
who having endured the visual effects equivalent of blunt force trauma, is left
wondering what the takeaway from this film is. The response "A
promise" feels hollow, hackneyed even. Within the framework of the plot it
implies that whenever the world is in peril, The Avengers will be there, to the
audience it is a pact that sequels will follow, but the purpose of this film,
or of its inevitable sequel is left unclear. Perhaps the question should have
never been asked, because all I can think of as the appropriate response is,
"We like money."
