What bugged me the most though, was that it deviated completely from the comic book by adding in the Black Panther story. I completely understand that often it's tough to adapt print material to the screen, and I know that certain liberties are sometimes taken for creative purposes — but this was ridiculous. It was a completely different plot. I felt that it was just a cheap excuse to introduce the Black Panther character in the hopes that he may spin off his own straight-to-DVD movie series someday. Who knows? I just felt that this change from the comic book weakened the connection between the first and second movie.
The funny thing is that to me, the best part about the whole movie were the credits. As I was reading through them, two names stuck out. One was of Dwight Schultz as the voice of Odin. You guys remember him, right? He played Howling Mad Murdock in The A-Team, and Lt. Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation. I've always liked Dwight Schultz. He's such an underrated character actor. The next name should be one that everyone and their mother knows: Mark Hamill. Yep, Luke Skywalker himself! The funny thing is that he did the voice of Oiler, a character that I don't even remember seeing!
Similar to its predecessor, I think that Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther would appeal mainly to fans of the comic books who long to see their heroes in animated form. Then again, true fans would be outraged that this movie is nothing like the comic.
Title: The Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther
Year: 2006
Director: Will Meugniot, Dick Sebast
Starring Voices: Justin Gross, Grey DeLisle, Olivia D'Abo, Marc Worden, Jeffrey D. Sams
Rated: PG-13
Article comments
1 - Kaonashi
Oops, I made a small error. I meant to say, "Dr. Bruce Banner (Michael Massee) has been confined and under close scrutiny by S.H.I.E.L.D after he destroys half the city as the Hulk, and nearly kills the Avengers."
My apologies.