The Avengers Story Map

Story Map Title: The Avengers Author: Joss Whedon Setting: New York City Characters/Actors: – Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man * Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America * Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk * Chris Hemsworth as Thor * Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow * Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye * Tom Hiddleston as Loki * Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson * Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill * Stellan Skarsgard as Dr. Erik Selvig * Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury Problem: An Asgardian, Loki meets the leader of an alien race known as the Chitauri.In exchange for retrieving the Tesseract, a powerful energy source of unknown potential, the other promises Loki a Chitauri army with which he can subjugate the Earth. Nick Fury, director of the espionage agency  S. H. I. E. L. D. , and his lieutenant Agent Maria Hill  arrive at a remote research facility during an evacuation, where physicist Dr. Erik Selvig is leading a research team experimenting on the Tesseract. Agent Phil Coulson explains that the object has begun radiating an unusual form of energy. The Tesseract suddenly activates and opens a portal, allowing Loki to reach Earth.Loki takes the Tesseract and uses his scepter to enslave Selvig and several agents, including Clint Barton, to aid him in his getaway. Event #1: The  Asgardian Loki  encounters the Other, the leader of an alien race known as the Chitauri. In exchange for retrieving the Tesseract,  a powerful energy source of unknown potential, the Other promises Loki a Chitauri army with which he can subjugate the Earth. Nick Fury, director of the espionage agency S. H. I. E. L. D, and his lieutenant Agent Maria Hill  arrive at a remote research facility during an evacuation, where physicist Dr.Erik Selvig is leading a research team experimenting on the Tesseract. Agent  Phil Coulson explains that the object has begun radiating an unusual form of energy. The Tesseract suddenly activates and opens a portal, a llowing Loki to reach Earth. Loki takes the Tesseract and uses his scepter to enslave Selvig and several agents, including Clint Barton to aid him in his getaway. Event #2: In response to the attack, Fury reactivates the â€Å"Avengers Initiative†. Agent Natasha Romanoff is sent to Calcutta, India  to recruit  Dr.Bruce Banner; Coulson visits  Tony Stark  to have him review Selvig's research; Fury approaches Steve Rogers  with an assignment to retrieve the Tesseract. While Barton steals  iridium  needed to stabilize the Tesseract's power, Loki causes a distraction in  Stuttgart, Germany leading to a confrontation with Rogers, Stark, and Romanoff that ends with Loki's surrender. While Loki is being escorted to S. H. I. E. L. D. ,  Thor, his adoptive brother, arrives and frees him hoping to convince him to abandon his plan and return to Asgard.After a confrontation with Stark and Rogers, Thor agrees to take Loki to S. H. I. E. L. D. ‘s flying aircraft car rier, the  Helicarier. There Loki is imprisoned while scientists Banner and Stark attempt to locate the Tesseract. Event #3: The Avengers become divided, both over how to approach Loki and the revelation that S. H. I. E. L. D. plans to harness the Tesseract to develop weapons as a deterrent  against hostile extra-terrestrials. As the group argues, Barton and Loki's other possessed agents attack the Helicarrier, disabling its engines in flight and causing Banner to transform into the Hulk.Stark and Rogers try to restart the damaged engines, and Thor attempts to stop the Hulk's rampage. Romanoff fights Barton, and knocks him unconscious, breaking Loki's mind control. Loki escapes after killing Coulson and ejecting Thor from the airship, while the Hulk falls to the ground after attacking a S. H. I. E. L. D. fighter jet. Fury uses Coulson's death to motivate the Avengers into working as a team. Stark and Rogers realize that simply defeating them will not be enough for Loki; he needs to overpower them publicly to validate himself as ruler of Earth.Loki uses the Tesseract, in conjunction with a device Selvig built, to open a portal above  Stark Tower  to the Chitauri fleet in space, launching his invasion. Event #4: The Avengers rally in defense of  New York City, but quickly realize they will be overwhelmed as wave after wave of Chitauri descend upon Earth. Rogers, Stark, and Thor evacuate civilians with assistance from Barton, while Banner transforms back into the Hulk and goes after Loki, eventually beating him into submission. Romanoff makes her way to the portal, where Selvig, freed of Loki's control, reveals that Loki's scepter can be used to close the portal.Meanwhile, Fury's superiors attempt to end the invasion by launching a nuclear missile at Manhattan. Stark intercepts the missile and takes it through the portal toward the Chitauri fleet. The missile detonates, destroying the invaders' lead ship which disables their forces on Earth. Stark's sui t runs out of power and he falls back through the portal, but the Hulk saves him from crashing to the ground. Romanoff deactivates the portal to prevent further invasion. In the aftermath, Thor returns Loki and the Tesseract to Asgard. Fury notes that the Avengers will return when they are needed.