'Avengers' Team Is 'The Definition Of Family'

'Everybody is just an arm of the octopus,' Robert Downey Jr., tells Entertainment Weekly.
By Kara Warner

Avengers on the cover of Entertainment Weekly
Photo: Entertainment Weekly

For the most dedicated "Avengers" fans who've been paying attention to every story printed, photo leaked or fan video uploaded to YouTube, it's safe to say that nearly everything we know about the Joss Whedon-helmed superhero epic is pretty awesome.

Entertainment Weekly has assembled the star-studded cast on the cover of this week's issue, along with an accompanying cover story that offers yet another excitement-inducing glimpse into the makings of what could be next year's biggest movie.

Whedon told the mag that he fully understands the amount of pressure he's under to deliver but that he has to allow himself room for error. "Every day I make some boneheaded mistake and I go, 'Really? Wow. So no learning curve, huh?' There is a weird element of: They handed me one of the biggest movies of all time, and I'm making it up as I go." As far as the A-listers in the cast go, there have been learning curves on their end as well, like Mark Ruffalo feeling anxious about taking over the Hulk from predecessor Edward Norton.

"Norton and I are friends, and he was like, 'You've gotta do it, buddy.' He basically bequeathed it to me," Ruffalo said. "It was very cool and very generous of him."

Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. revealed that he had to come to terms with the "sharing is caring" aspect of the ensemble film, versus pushing for his Tony Stark to be the centerpiece like in his "Iron Man" movies. "I said [to Whedon], 'I don't know what you're thinking, but Tony needs to drive this thing.' He was like, 'OK, let's try that.' We tried it, and it didn't work," Downey said. "Because this is a different sort of thing. Everybody is just an arm of the octopus."

That "octopus" — i.e. the ensemble cast that consists of Ruffalo's Incredible Hulk, Downey's Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth's Thor, Chris Evans' Captain America, Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow — has become one big happy family, according to all parties involved.

"Joss describes it as the definition of family," Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said. "These are people who have no business being together, but they are thrust together and need to make the best of it."

Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

Chyler Leigh Ciara Cindy Crawford Cindy Taylor