As much of a menace as he is to all the nine worlds of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it appears that there is one thing that can stop Loki dead in his tracks: a script. Now this doesn’t mean that Tom Hiddleston had a falling out with Marvel, Disney, or Joss Whedon, it just means that he won’t be in The Avengers 2. This is definitely a disappointment to anyone who is a fan of the actor or the character who loves to hear line like “Mewling quim” or “An ant has no quarrel with a boot.”

While a disappointment, it isn’t entirely unexpected. To have him as the villain, even in a smaller capacity, would be somewhat boring. Also that little teaser at the end of the first Avengers confirmed that Thanos is a greater threat than Loki and was the one pulling the strings, so why subject the audience to another appearance made by Loki, when you can have someone as powerful as Thanos.

Shane Black‘s Iron Man 3 has already grossed over $700 million worldwide, and while a box office success, it isn’t unanimously beloved by critics or audiences like Marvel’s last homerun, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the popular aggregate movie review website, Iron man 3 currently sits at 78% (67% among top critics). On Metacritic, a more analytical aggregate site, Black’s film currently scores 62 out of 100. To put things in perspective, two of 2012’s most divisive blockbuster films amongst fanboys, The Dark Knight Rises and Prometheus, are locked in at 84% and 74% respectively. Iron Man 2, the black sheep of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is at 73%.

In my review, I took issue with misplaced character motivations and the way co-writers Shane Black and Drew Pearce approached Iron Man’s greatest foe, the Mandarin. Well, even after a 1,300-word review, I’m still not finished talking about Iron Man 3. The only way to get over my disappointment with the third (and hopefully final) Iron Man film was to write about how great it could have been if it wasn’t, well, the movie it turned out to be.

So, in an effort to channel the passion and insanity of Patton Oswalt’s epic Star Wars/Avengers rant on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, here are some thoughts on what should have happened in Iron Man 3.

If you’ve been reading Jonathan Hickman‘s books in the Marvel U lately, including The Avengers, everything seems to be getting more and more cosmic. This all has to be a lead-up to the next big thing from the House of Ideas called Infinity!

Infinity is a six-part summer event being crafted by Jonathan Hickman, Jim Cheung, Jerome Opena, and Dustin Weaver.

Check out the covers for Infinity: Part 1 here below.

The Avengers 2 writer-director Joss Whedon revealed a few weeks ago that the classic Marvel characters Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch – the rights to whom are shared by both Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox with conditions – would figure heavily in the highly anticipated sequel. One of many lingering questions now is: Who will be playing those particular roles?

The script is nearing completion, but no actors have met with Whedon or the producers as yet to discuss joining the cast. Of course now that hardly means that certain actors cannot be at least thought of for these integral roles, and if the rumor going around proves to be accurate, Irish actress Saoirse Ronan is at the top of Marvel’s list to play the Scarlet Witch.

Earlier, we showed you a 6-second preview of ABC’s new Marvel television series via Vine. Now, ABC has released a full 30-second preview of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which kind of feels like X-Files meets Heroes, with Joss Whedon‘s signature style and humor.

Co-written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen and directed by Joss Whedon, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series was picked up by ABC and will premiere as part of the network’s Fall lineup. The trailer, which you can watch below, premiered during ABC’s Once Upon a Time and features more glimpses at a mysterious superhero as well as plenty of Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).