At Last! Whedon to Helm ‘The Avengers’

Listen.

That sound you hear is millions of geeks squeezing at once. After weeks of speculation, geekdom rejoices with the news that the man, the myth, Joss Whedon, has been tapped to helm Marvel Studios’ “The Avengers.” The deal was finally announced at the San Diego Comic-Con, during a joint panel with J.J. Abrams.

This ends the guessing game which started years ago, first with Jon Favreau, followed by Louis Leterrier and even Joe Johnston – each a director of one of the lead up films (“Iron Man”, “The Incredible Hulk” and “Captain America: The First Avenger” respectively). And whiles some would say that this is remarkable because it is the first big screen joining of the popular superhero team, many will say it is more remarkable for joining this property with this veritable god of geekdom.

Whedon joked that Marvel was too strapped for cash for afford a real press release, so he took the “Masters” panel as an opportunity to put the rumor-mongering to rest once and for all. However, there wasn’t any announcement on who would be stepping in to the role of Bruce Banner / The Hulk. Edward Norton was informed by Marvel he wouldn’t be returning in the role earlier in the month. That announcement is expected Saturday, during Marvel’s big panel.