‘The Avengers’: Keys to its Marvel-ous s...

‘The Avengers’: Keys to its Marvel-ous s...

From l., Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and Captain America (Chris Evans) in ‘The Avengers’

In my review of The Avengers on Monday, I called director-co-writer Joss Whedons Marvel superhero teamup a terrific, colossal achievement that gets everything right.

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That may seem like an overstatement, but there were so many potential pitfalls waiting for Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Thor that Whedon must have had rockets put in his shoes to avoid them.

And while the backbone of the film are those characters linked together by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and the cast that brings them to life, there are many secrets to The Avengers success. Here are five things it gets super-right.

1. Everyone Gets a Solo But There Are Plenty of Duets

There was speculation prior to release about whether Whedon could make Avengers work with four strong focal points, as well as Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), who also arent lacking in backstory and punch.

Yet the film manages to give each hero a moment to shine, then ups the ante by having interpersonal conflicts and pairings happen organically. And when working together, they all complement each other.

2. The Hulk Gets Respect

Mark Ruffalos Bruce Banner is the movies metronome, a guy whose internal tick-tock is under tight control until he needs to let loose. (My secret, he says, is that Im always angry.)

He provides a counterbalance to Robert Downey Jr.s wiseguy Tony Stark. And as for his CGI alter-ego: In earlier films, Hulk was, well, hulking. Here, he provides a surprising number of laugh beats and action grace notes.

3. One Villain to Fight em All

A decade ago, this film might have had a cadre of baddies facing off against the big boys. Whedon honoring the 1963 Avengers original comic lets Loki (Tom Hiddleston) work his magic. And sure nuff, its more than enough.

4. Its Funny But Not Wacky

The Avengers lets Stark, Banner/Hulk, Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and even Thor (Chris Hemsworth) keep things light when appropriate. Although superhero films have become parables of good and evil, theyre still the offspring of often jokey panels filled with primary colors. So check out the look of shock and pride on the unfrozen WWII hero Captain Americas face when he gets a Wizard of Oz reference.

5. The Overlapping Stories Make Sense

Marvels Rubiks Cube-like configuration of previous movies going back to 2008s Iron Man is an object lesson in dotting your is and crossing your ts. Tony Starks dad helped create Captain Americas powers; thus, Tonys undisguised jealousy. Thor considers Loki a family shame. The binding spirit that is S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). These things fill in the corners of The Avengers and make it feel bigger than life.

jneumaier@nydailynews.com