Thomas Roach on who Andy Serkis could be playing in Avengers: Age of Ultron…
With the release of the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer many people will have noticed that actor Andy Serkis appears in it in a live0action role. This makes a change from his usual body of work, having played the Ceaser in Planet of the Apes and Gollum in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It was revealed a few months ago that Serkis had come on board to help Mark Ruffalo with doing motion capture work for the Hulk. During the San Diego Comic-Con footage in July it was confirmed that Serkis had a live action role and after the arrival of the trailer we can all see that this is the case. So who will Serkis be playing?
Back in July I speculated that Andy Serkis would actually be playing Doctor Strange. Whereas many people doubted this, I still felt it was very plausible from the information we originally had. But, after seeing the shot of Andy Serkis in the trailer, I now think it is clear that he will be playing the villain Ulysses Klaw. In the comics Klaw is the villain to Black Panther, which is a movie expected to be developed by Marvel in the next few years. If so, it makes a great deal of sense that Klaw will appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron., and the character is almost identical to how Andy Serkis looks in the trailer…
It makes sense storywise that Klaw would be associated with this version of Ultron. In the comics when Klaw first appeared he was an adventurer who went to the fictional country of Wakanda in order to get hold of the rare metal Vibranium. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe Captain America’s shield is made out of this rare material, as presumably will Ultron, who will upgrade himself throughout the film and will want to get hold of as much as possible. James Spader confirmed at Comic-Con that his character shared screen time with Serkis’ character. It would make sense that Ultron seeks the help of Ulysses Klaw to obtain as much vibranium as he can.
This also likely means that the film will feature scenes in Wakanda and the hero Black Panther may appear. If this is the case it may be nothing more than a cameo, but it could lay the groundwork for a Black Panther movie over the next few years. As Marvel have been rumoured to stop doing origins in movies, having Black Panther appear in the film would fit in with that direction. It also means that Andy Serkis may reprise the role of Klaw in future movies. Klaw may also require some motion capture work if the character is taken futher, so it makes sense that Serkis would be the right man to take on the job.
It is not confirmed that Andy Serkis will portray Ulysses Klaw but I think the evidence laid out suggests that this is the role he will in fact be playing. Of course, don’t take this as fact until Marvel has confirmed it though.
Do you think Andy Serkis will be playing the villain Klaw? Let us know…
Thomas Roach
Originally published October 24, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
