Blank Check — Patreon: The Avengers

Published 2019-03-21; 2:24:52 by the feed.

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

The extraction calls the show “Blank Check with Griffin & David (Patreon)” and the episode “The Avengers”.

Hosts: Griffin Newman, David Sims. Guests: Ben Hosley (producer, in the room; first-time viewer of most of the MCU, per the hosts).

Subject films: The Avengers (2012).

On the transcript: Auto-transcript with no speaker labels; a lot of banter, Raya talk, and live-room asides. Timestamps follow the film, so scene references are reliable. David leaves around 2:18; a Patreon commentary with one host nearly out of room.

Films that came up

Claims (57)

craft (craft): Joss Whedon → Serenity. Answers the 'TV guy' worry about the Avengers trailers by pointing at Serenity as proof Whedon can direct with visual panache.
“Serenity is an incredibly well-directed movie with a lot of visual panache.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:02:47 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
industry (industry): The Avengers → Kevin Feige. The film looks homogenized because Feige quality-controls the look across all Marvel films.
“He's trying to like quality control across all franchise locations. It's a kind of homogeneous look.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:02:55 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Cobie Smulders → Wonder Woman (unmade Whedon script). Whedon wanted Smulders as his Wonder Woman, and Maria Hill is described as the consolation prize.
“He wanted Kobe Smallers to play Wonder Woman when he was going to make that.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:03:45 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Cobie Smulders → Jack Reacher (sequel). Jack Reacher 2 wasted her; they say she deserves her own action film.
“But that was one of the many reasons why Jack Reacher too was so disappointing.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:04:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Joss Whedon → Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Speaker's Buffy/Firefly fandom is why Whedon's exposition and Fury's crackling lines register as his signature.
“I'm still like a big Buffy fan, a big old-fashioned Wii. I love Firefly, right?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:04:21 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
people (people): Tom Hiddleston → Thor. Notes Loki's first-film look/context; Ben hasn't seen Thor or Cap in the lineup, which is why they watched them today.
“We've recorded these 3 episodes, Thor, America, and Avengers.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:06:07 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Tom Hiddleston → Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Loki's sallow look reads as a Buffy villain.
“He looks like a Buffy villain here.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:06:20 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Jeremy Renner → Iron Man 2. Hawkeye is set up here in Thor and Avengers rather than earlier; Renner is brainwashed for most of the film and complained about it.
“for like the 1st one hour and 50 minutes he's brainwashed and he's just as like, yes, Loki, whatever you say.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:07:15 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Joss Whedon → Zak Penn. Whedon told Marvel the Zak Penn script was garbage and would only direct if he could rewrite it entirely.
“He basically openly interviews was like, I threw that script in the garbage.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:08:59 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Joss Whedon → Iron Man 2. Whedon told Marvel that Black Widow had not really been set up in Iron Man 2 and the character foundations were shaky.
“I took a look at that Iron Man 2 picture. you had, didn't notice a lot of character work.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:09:27 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): The Avengers → Olympus Has Fallen. The opening tunnel car chase is dismissed as Olympus-Has-Fallen-level dull, though later Marvel films do it more elaborately and no better.
“is this like Olympus has fallen level?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:10:02 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
people (people): Robert Downey Jr. → Joss Whedon. Downey pushed to be the star of the team movie in his first meeting with Whedon, then admitted he was wrong.
“I know you think you're making a team movie, but I'm the big star.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:11:22 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
industry (industry): The Avengers → The Incredible Hulk. Pre-Avengers grosses (Iron Man ~300, Hulk ~150, Cap ~170) suggested a glass ceiling; the unaccounted factor was the movie being very good.
“And then the X factor I wasn't considering was, what if movie very good?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:13:53 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
theme (theme): The Avengers → The Mighty Ducks. The team takes a long time to work well together, the Mighty Ducks arc.
“No, it's about... It's the mighty ducks.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:14:58 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Mark Ruffalo → Eric Bana. Banner interpretations: Bana bottled rage, Thornton nervy, Ruffalo sheepish and rumpled.
“So, like, Bana is just like bottled rage. Right. Thorton is like nervy.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:17:58 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Mark Ruffalo → You Can Count on Me. His breakout, a second lead beside Laura Linney, put him on the map as a leading man.
“Kenny Lonergan, my favorite playwright, cast him as the 2nd lead, and you can count on me alongside Laura Linney”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:19:09 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Mark Ruffalo → Signs. Ruffalo was cast in the Joaquin Phoenix role in Signs but dropped out after a tumor in his ear.
“And he had been cast in the Joaquin Phoenix role in signs.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:20:14 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
career (career): Mark Ruffalo → 13 Going on 30. After his illness he went for rom-com leads and got stuck as the nice pushover, the Bill Pullman of rom-coms.
“At this point, it's like he's becoming like the Bill Pullman of rom-coms.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:22:41 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
career (career): Mark Ruffalo → Sympathy for Delicious. His directorial debut, a low point (hosts disagree on degree) when he claimed he might quit acting.
“It's just a dumbass hole, Sundance movie.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:23:30 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Mark Ruffalo → Zodiac. Zodiac is cited as proof he is one of the best actors working, undercutting the 'mailman' theory.
“Zodiac, which I think is one of the best performances of the last 20 years.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:23:39 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Mark Ruffalo → The Brothers Bloom. Even when it flopped, Brothers Bloom showed Ruffalo acting hard, not mailing it in.
“Ruffle is acting in this. He ain't mailing nothing in.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:24:26 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Mark Ruffalo → The Kids Are All Right. A role of under 5 working days brought his first Oscar nomination and the comeback, then Shutter Island with Scorsese.
“I believe he worked less than 5 days on that film.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:24:56 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Mark Ruffalo → Joaquin Phoenix. Ruffalo and Phoenix were the short list to replace Norton; Feige keeps courting Phoenix (Doctor Strange too) and Phoenix only did Joker because it was twisted.
“Kevin Feige is always trying to get Joaquin Phoenix to do one of these movies.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:25:35 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
people (people): Robert Downey Jr. → Mark Ruffalo. Downey personally lobbied Ruffalo, promising fun, money, and financing for his other movies.
“It will let you get the other movies financed, which I think is what really pushed him over the edge.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:26:12 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Iron Man → Iron Man 2. Stark arc: Iron Man 1 changing worldview, Iron Man 2 hubristic, Avengers trying not to care.
“Then Iron Man 2 is just like, he doesn't give a fuck anymore.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:27:40 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): The Avengers → Paddington 2. Cheerful movies get hyped as 'the movie for now'; same overrating of Paddington 2 over Paddington 1.
“confused by people who act like Paddington 2 is head and shoulders above Paddington one.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:30:25 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Mark Ruffalo → Edward Norton. Norton made you want the Hulk out already; Ruffalo makes you feel for Banner.
“Whereas like with Norton you're like, turn into the Hulk already.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:33:34 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
people (people): Samuel L. Jackson → Kong: Skull Island. Jackson holding court about director Jordan Vogt-Roberts as an amateur, illustrating Jackson's professionalism standard.
“he was loudly holding court over what a fucking disaster Jordan Vote Roberts was on Kong Skull Island.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:37:46 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Tom Hiddleston → Lady Bird. Loki's plan reads as a kid trying to impress his parents.
“He's like Ladybird.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:40:40 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Tom Hiddleston → Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Loki's theatrical villain fun is the model Griffin wishes Grindelwald had; he also compared Loki's look to Grindelwald's.
“This is what I want Grindewald to be like...”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:40:51 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
craft (craft): The Avengers → Thor. Jumping-out-of-planes shots are a Marvel habit they have been counting (about six).
“We've been keeping count. There are like 6 of them.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:45:47 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Joss Whedon → Avengers: Age of Ultron. Whedon's Ultron has some problems, but he does a lot right in this film.
“if you're going to DFI Joss Whedon, this is the one.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:46:15 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): The Avengers → Thor. A far better movie than Thor; Thor is more fun beside other characters.
“This is a better movie than Thor? Much better.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:49:21 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Samuel L. Jackson → Jungle Fever. Jackson used his real crack addiction in Jungle Fever, which made his career and earned a first-ever supporting prize at Cannes.
“Right, which is the 1st time that the con film festival is ever given out a supporting award.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:52:44 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): The Avengers → Justice League. In Avengers each character has a voice; in Justice League anyone could say any line.
“in the Justice League, in this scene, anyone could say any line and it would sound fine.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:54:08 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
craft (craft): The Avengers → Lost. Selvig's fake beard in the mobile lab is a continuity fix like Lost's, glued on across time periods.
“What they're doing here is the thing that they did on Lost, where they had to cut between different time periods.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:02:23 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): The Avengers → Fast Five. Both are ensemble movies where everyone shines, setups pay off, and every moment is fun.
“here's a big ensemble cast. everyone shines, everything that's set up is paid off, elegantly, and every moment is fun.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:06:47 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Scarlett Johansson → Iron Man 2. The Avengers uses Johansson (and Black Widow's Russian-scene vulnerability-as-weapon) better than anything since 2003, and better than Iron Man 2's secretary-spy version.
“This is the better version of that where he's like, she has been trained in a weird Russian program to be able to manipulate anybody.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:08:17 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
programming (programming): Kevin Feige → Inhumans (announced film). Feige's Phase 3 keynote, staged like an Apple unveiling, announced Captain Marvel, Boseman, and a joke 'Inhumans movie with Vin Diesel'.
“Feige doing that weird keynote address where he was doing like his Steve Jobs impression and announcing the phase 3 films.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:08:39 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Samuel L. Jackson → The Hateful Eight. A tweet (attributed to someone named Ehrlich) said we will regret undervaluing Jackson, even while disliking Hateful Eight.
“25 years from now, we're all going to be kicking ourselves for how much we undervalued Samuel Jackson when he was alive.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:09:55 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Thor: Ragnarok → The Avengers. Ben's favorite Marvel movie; Hulk's journey into space follows from here.
“Ragnarok is 100% Ben's favorite Marvel movie.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:18:58 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Joss Whedon → Astonishing X-Men (comic). His comics work on Astonishing X-Men and Runaways showed he can find fresh uses of established powers, making him the smart hire.
“when you saw what he did writing comics with Astonishing X-Men, especially. Runaways too.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:19:55 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Joss Whedon → Wonder Woman (unmade Whedon script). Everyone cheered Whedon being hired for Wonder Woman; the script is notorious and was not greenlit, perhaps because the world wasn't ready.
“That script is notorious for being crummy.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:20:13 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Tom Hiddleston → Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Loki works best as a delicious con-man villain like Ricardo Montalban's Khan, not as a tortured Shakespearean.
“no, you're like Ricardo Montalvon in Star Trek.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:27:18 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
programming (programming): The Avengers → Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Coulson was brought back for the TV show but kept out of the movies, signaling the TV show is only loosely connected.
“you can be in the TV show, like, because we need, you know, a star for the show”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:29:09 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
programming (programming): Captain Marvel → The Avengers. Captain Marvel is a 1990s prequel in which Fury still has both eyes, bringing back Coulson/Fury; they predict nineties-reference gags.
“So in that one, Nick Fury has 2 eyes.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:29:32 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Harry Dean Stanton → The Avengers. The cameo was written as a nine-page Hulk conversation, shot in full, cut to a beat; the long version is on the DVD.
“there should be like a 9 page dialogue scene with the Hulk talks with an old security man about the nature of humanity and they shot all of it”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:32:35 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
craft (craft): The Avengers → The Tick. Cutting-in-coverage lesson: a three-year-old asks where the blue guy went; Hawkeye screen-time counts miss the same point.
“But every time they cut to my clothes, he'd be like, where'd the blue guy go?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:34:42 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
programming (programming): The Avengers → Guardians of the Galaxy. Thanos' Chitauri subcontracting sets up the cosmic films; Guardians is next on their Marvel list.
“We're gonna we're gonna cover Peter movie soon.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:34:57 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): The Avengers → Idiocracy. Black Widow's origin tangent: Tony's rushed Iron Man 2 pitch reminded Griffin of the endless slides gag in Idiocracy.
“Do you know what one of my favorite jokes in the history of movies is?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:36:19 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): The Avengers → Avengers: Age of Ultron. Age of Ultron opens with the team already together and Fury in hiding, so it is a sequel to five films rather than to Avengers.
“Avengers 2 can't be a sequel to Avengers one. It has to be a sequel to 5 other moments.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:39:42 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): The Avengers → Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The Chitauri transport creature with troops jumping off recalls the Battle Droid transport.
“it's like the thing in Phantom Menace, the, uh, Battle Droid Transport.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:47:09 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
theme (theme): The Avengers → Sully. Shield's board distrusts the Avengers the way the flight board distrusted Sully, who was right.
“They didn't trust Sully, but Sully was right.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:55:14 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): The Avengers → Man of Steel. Man of Steel's similar downtown destruction finale feels unreal with random civilians; Avengers grounds it in the street.
“the denim one is like the opposite of this.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:59:00 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
craft (craft): The Avengers → Iron Man. Iron Man gives Marvel the template; Avengers sets the 80% spectacle / 20% funny template for the rest.
“It's like 80%'s got spectacle, 20% funny.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 2:01:33 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Joss Whedon → Justice League. Warner brought Whedon in after filming to retroactively make it more like Avengers, with reshoots adding jokes and replicated family cutaways.
“they bring in Joss Whedon after they've filmed the entire movie and go like, can you retroactively make it into more like Avengers?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 2:01:43 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
theme (theme): The Avengers → Iron Man 3. Stark's arc across three Iron Man films peaks in Iron Man 3, and Avengers lays the track for its PTSD.
“Iron Man 3 is all him being unable to cope with the psychological like trauma of this.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 2:07:49 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)

Fun items (25)

fun, about The Avengers: Paramount still has its logo on a film Disney bought; they joke Paramount staked its territory and Disney got the last laugh by earning more.
“Paramount made so much money for selling these movies, but Disney got the last laugh because they made even more money buying these movies.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:01:09 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Joss Whedon: Whedon's pitch meeting: said the Zak Penn script was garbage; also told Downey it's a team movie with Cap leading, no Iron Man movie.
“And Josh Sweden was like, cool. No.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:11:29 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Mark Ruffalo: Ruffalo's career: Lonergan breakout, dropped out of Signs with an ear tumor, rom-com rut ('the mailman'), then Zodiac, Oscar nomination, and the Avengers call.
“He's the Bill Pullman of rom-coms.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:22:41 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Mark Ruffalo: His agent told him to look out the window at 5:30 AM; a black car meant Comic-Con and the announcement as the Hulk, hours later.
“if there's a black car parked outside, it's to take you to the airport to go to Comic-Con.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:26:22 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Samuel L. Jackson: See the shot at 0:35 where Fury enters and is just a movie star; Jackson is the almost-lead early on, one-take pro, and 'the Ben Hosley of the Avengers' per the hosts.
“Samuel Jackson is like almost the lead.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:35:25 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Kong: Skull Island: Griffin tells a story of Jackson loudly trashing director Jordan Vogt-Roberts at an event, then clams up.
“Fuck Jordan vote Roberts.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:38:32 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Captain America: Griffin's costume complaint: the neckcloth connecting helmet and suit, which they say they cannot unsee once told.
“The neckcloth connecting.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:43:03 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about The Avengers: Whedon's addition that was not in the Penn draft: the heroes must fight each other first; see the Thor/Iron Man/Cap forest fight at 0:47-0:50 and Cap's shield versus Mjolnir.
“They have to fight each other.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:46:38 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Samuel L. Jackson: Kicked a crack addiction, used it in Jungle Fever, and became the most professional man in Hollywood.
“he becomes the most professional, like put together guy in the world.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:53:27 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Iron Man: Downey doesn't want to wear the suit; so the suit transformations become all CGI and you never get the flip-up helmet shot.
“Downey Jr. just clearly doesn't want to wear any portion of the suit.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:57:55 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Tom Waits: Griffin wanted to do a Tom Waits; Waits on Fernwood Tonight, and a Conan bit of 'Office Temp Tom Waits'.
“I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:01:19 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Hulk: See the scene where Banner reveals he shot himself and the Hulk spat the bullet out; he stays calm by always being angry (1:12:30, then 1:54:08 payoff).
“He shot himself in the head and he turned into the Hulk and the Hulk spit the bullet out.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:12:35 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Mark Ruffalo: Hulk finally looks like the actor; the transformation scene and purple shirt get praise at 1:15.
“And for the 1st time, he looks like the actor.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:15:33 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Samuel L. Jackson: Jackson told Whedon he was 63 and cannot look cool running in an ankle-length duster, so he just stands and poses.
“I cannot look cool running in that thing.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:20:41 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Jeremy Renner: Renner's defense of Hawkeye: he's there to tranquilize the Hulk; they find that depressing. Also Renner complained about being brainwashed for ~1:50.
“he's got the arrow so they can tranquilize Hulk.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:23:04 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Phil Coulson: Coulson dies at about 1:25 with his Captain America cards bloodied; Griffin notes Clark Gregg returns for Captain Marvel's 1990s setting.
“Phil Colson worshiped him so much with the blood on them.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:30:20 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Harry Dean Stanton: See the scene (1:32) where Harry Dean Stanton talks Banner round: shot as a nine-page conversation, trimmed hard; the full version is on the DVD.
“So there's like a very long version of this on the DVD”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:32:51 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Hawkeye: Hawkeye can run out of arrows (2:00-2:03) and Griffin hates knowing it; see the 'Vulture' stopwatch article claiming only six minutes of Hawkeye screen time.
“poor Hawkeye only has like 6 minutes of screen time.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:34:01 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Robert Downey Jr.: Downey asked to pick the magnetic bracelets in the final suit-up and ad-libbed the Gallagher-at-the-computer riff that became a real shot.
“he was like, can I pick the bracelets?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:41:27 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Grand Central / New York: They scanned every building from 34th to 45th Street for the battle and 'make sure it doesn't get bigger than this' keeps the geography clear; the worm goes through Grand Central at 1:58.
“they scanned every fucking building in this area and just rebuilt like a perfect, like, grid of like 34th to like 45th.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:47:43 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Ashley Johnson: Cap's original introduction was a cafe scene with a waitress (Johnson) flirting; the cut payoff is her looking up at the Avengers.
“So it's supposed to be payoff for that, but it still works”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:59:47 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about The Avengers: The end-credits 'battle wounds' sequence; one host watches it to get pumped.
“If I'm trying to get jacked for something, I watch this end credit sequence.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 2:14:01 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Marvel studio: The Chitauri were minor aliens invented for this movie; Thanos reveal in the credits left a Paris friend asking who the purple guy was.
“who was the purple guy?”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 2:16:24 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about The Avengers: Opening weekend box office: $207 million (May 4), then Think Like a Man, The Hunger Games, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, The Lucky One in the top five.
“Avengers breaks the box office record makes 207.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 2:16:39 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about The Avengers: The post-credits shawarma scene: Chris Evans had a beard from another shoot, so his arm hides it.
“I think Chris Evans had a beard, uh, because he was shooting a different movie when they shot this”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 2:23:09 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Who's talking

Griffin Newman (host): Loves Whedon-era dialogue, Buffy and Firefly, Kenneth Lonergan, and character-driven ensemble action; sucker for actors having fun and clever setups paid off. Dislikes homogenized Marvel visuals, rock-song tags, and Grindelwald's Crimes. Allergic to a Christmas tree and moose.
David Sims (host): Treats Avengers as a model for plotted ensemble blockbusters; loves Samuel L. Jackson and Hulk, wants Marvel's cinematic conveyor belt held up to Justice League. Knows Hollywood trivia, box-office figures. Dislikes Man of Steel's destruction and Age of Ultron's continuity.
Ben Hosley (guest): A newcomer to Thor and Cap before today, warming up to the Marvel movies during this viewing; favorite Marvel movie is Thor: Ragnarok (said by the hosts). Likes the scene where hammer meets shield; is on Raya during the film.

The show's recurring bits

Names the transcriber got wrong

Joss Wheeden / Weeden / Weedon / Josh Sweden = Joss Whedon
Kobe Smolders / Kobe Smallers = Cobie Smulders
Phil Colson / Colson = Phil Coulson
Foggy = probably Feige or a nickname; 'Feigy' = Kevin Feige
Zach Penn = Zak Penn
Chituaris / Chitari = Chitauri
Alexis Denisov = Alexis Denisof
Jenny a gutter = Jenny Agutter
Jersey Skullamins / jersey school mosky / Homosky = Jerzy Skolimowski (guess, unverified)
Stellen Scarsgard = Stellan Skarsgard
Donny Jr. / Diane Jr. / Dion Jr. = Robert Downey Jr.
Jordan Vote Roberts = Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Ardman = Aardman
Pavro = end-credits designer, name unclear
Raya/Ryan = Raya (dating app)
Selvig = Erik Selvig
Wii = Whedon
Hawk boys = Loki's mind-controlled agents
Leonard Malton game = Leonard Maltin game

Blank Check — Patreon: The Avengers

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

Films that came up

subject (1)

recommended (2)

anecdote (24)

dismissed (4)

compared (24)

passing (13)

Claims (57)

Fun items (25)

Who's talking

The show's recurring bits

Names the transcriber got wrong