Apart from being supersmart, Joss Whedon has the perfect credentials to write and direct a colossal commercial construct like Marvels The *Avengers: He plainly loves the opportunity to put these comic-book iconsIron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth)in one room and let them hang out, spar (with words as well as hammers, shields, etc.), and weigh the merits of individualism versus teamwork. Reallydebate is as important to him as Hulk, smash! The movie would be all over the place if not for Whedons centrifugal seriousness. And it would be overbearingly pompous if not for his nifty ability to spoof his subjects without devaluing them. Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other Whedon wonders, The Avengers is both campy and *reverential. Comic-Con nerds will have multiple orgasms. I had a blast.