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Whedon Calls Iron Man's Triangle 'Ass', Evolves Back to the Circle

by Alex Billington
March 12, 2012
Source: Empire

This is a fun one. Filmmaker Joss Whedon, director of Marvel's The Avengers, has been out and about doing interviews for Cabin in the Woods. And since we're so close to the release of Avengers, and journalists are so hot on asking him about it, Empire has posted a fun video of him talking about Iron Man's armor. The discussion spurs from a question brought up about the new circular Iron Man armor chest piece design, as seen on the Avengers covers of Empire, that is the "next evolution" of armor. So why did he go back to a circle? Well, Whedon has got an answer, taking a swipe at the "ass" triangle design while he's at it. Read on!

Whedon, who is in London to work on the score for The Avengers, was asked by Empire to set the record straight about the armor. "There will be more than one suit in the film. 'Cause they get a bit of wear and tear, honestly. He goes through it... and it's sort of a tradition that Marvel brought to the table of, we like to change it up, we like to see the suits evolve. And so I said, 'Great! Then you're going back to the circle because the triangle is ass.' I'm sorry, but I'm a classicist, the circle has a meaning, the triangle does not." Ouch! But so be it, he seems to hint that there is a reason for it and I'm sure we'll find out in a few months.

Their video (seen below) also has Whedon saying he's in town to score Avengers, and has been listening to Alan Silvestri "blow my mind for the last several days over at Abbey Road." Glad to hear that even the score is coming together, but Whedon seems like such a wise-cracker, especially when hinting to press about what's to come in The Avengers. Thankfully we're only about 50 days away from finally seeing the movie (on May 4th), it won't be too much longer of a wait. Thanks again to Empire (via JoBlo) for posting the video.

Filed under Comics, Discuss, Hype, Movie News

From around the web:

Jericho

Captain America's Helmet is Ass Thors Helmet is Ass *just in case he includes it* that's *potentially* two, you got anything to back yourself up?
DAVIDPD

He has a point. The circle is much cooler than the stupid triangle.
- redskulllives
  
  no they should have put a star instead
  - Will
    
    But that's what the Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn) had. Spider-Man demonstrated it's a structurally weaker output method for the arc reactor when he punched it in the comics
    - Jericho
      
      .....i dont remember that in the spiderman movie....
      - potato
        
        Not sure if trolling or stupid.
Jedi

Gotta love Joss Whedon. It's too bad he didn't say something like that when Sarah Michelle Gellar got her nose done after the first year or two of Buffy. "Sarah, we need to change your nose back, that new one is ass."
http://www.quanahblogs.com/ Quanah

I'm glad they're using 2 time Oscar nominee Alan Silvestri for the score. As a Browncoat, anything Whedon says is gold in my book. He could of changed the triangle to a pink cat turd and I would have foolishly agreed with the move.
- Scopedog
  
  Well, if Nathan Fillion has a cameo....that would be cool.
  - JSK
    
    Alexis Denisof cameos.
  - http://www.facebook.com/alexander.proff Alexander Proff
    
    As Captain Hammer, corporate tool?
zer0limit

it would've been interesting if they got John Williams to score, just for the fact that this is such a huge film with combining all these heroes together. All he'd need to do is make a memorable theme for The Avengers and be like "ok, you've got the rest" because god knows he's made many memorable themes, whether you like the movies or not: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Jaws...
- Sauron1313
  
  John Williams hasn't created a new score since Jurassic Park. If you listen to all of the movies and scores he has done since then, including HP, they are just mashes of his other scores in different keys and tempos. Getting someone that can get good action music that won't sound like the battle of Endor meets the raptor scene is clearly the best movie.
Chris_G

Can any die hard fan of the comics enlighten me as to why the circle has a 'meaning' and the triangle doesn't? Or exactly what that meaning is?
- Jericho
  
  i think its just the fact he had a circle first and people want a little bit more nostalgia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ5hK-D8kRQ Crapola

They only changed it to a triangle coz of the Illoominatti they get everywhere. Josh looked pretty bored there. Must've been a long day
- Chris Amaya
  
  Hahaha I see what you did there.
- Scopedog
  
  Bwahahahaha!
Pete the Geek

The circle "has meaning" because Tony's arc reactor in his chest is circular and they line up. Covering a circular arc reactor with a triangle shape doesn't exactly make logical sense - it just looks interesting (and they were trying to make it look more like Adi Granov's 'Extremis' armor).
- http://twitter.com/hgpataki todd flanders
  
  In Iron man 2 when Stark creates the 'New' Arc reactor that saves his life, the design is actually a triangle inside of a circle. Thats why the Mark VI has a triangle.
  - Diggy381
    
    I still don't think that makes any sense because the overall shape of the reactor is still a circle, not a triangle. I never understood why the armor was changed that way.
    - Scopedog
      
      People...aren't we getting a little bit too focused on something that, well, in the big picture of the film, can be classified as "not that important"? True, the return to a circular chest piece on the armor from the triangular piece might cause a bit of confusion, but it's as Whedon said--Stark will probably need more than one suit in this film (as evidenced by the "multi-jet thruster" suit seen in the trailer. I'm not worried or concerned about the chest piece. My only concern is whether the film will be good or not.
..........................

Alright I enjoyed Iron Man 1 & 2 So I think Joss Should make that I actually like before he can tell me what's "Ass". Because right now Avengers can go either way.
Loser

I would like to see a Joss Whedon directed and written Modesty Blaise movie
N.

Your Ass is Ass....
BigMikeG23

i think he means just in terms of that design (circle) having been around the longest it has more meaning 2 him....??? (who knows)
Christopher Batty

Why is Whedon talking in a British like accent??? He's doing a Madonna.
batsupe

"the circle has meaning, the triangle does not" Nice! for me the triangle represented a change for Tony's suit. Creating the new element saved his life and gave a new vitality to him and the suit so changing the chest piece to a triangle in Iron Man 2 made sense because it represented that. However i think the circle represents even more as it reminds him how his life was saved and changed completely back in the cave in Iron Man 1. Without it he would not have survived or escaped. So i think reverting back to the cirlcle is definately the right choice, and besides it just looks so much cooler.
Rorschach2099

I think the circle will have a lot of thematic relevance in this film: we see it in Cap's shield, Iron Man's chest plate, Thor's suit, the Avengers logo itself. The defining, final shot in the trailers features all the heroes forming a Phalanx together, a circle where everyone has each other's backs. That's the whole story of the film: a group of people coming together, learning to trust each other because they have to, to survive. This is the voice we need in big-budget movies. Not snarky and cynical, but a call for unity and togetherness. How badly does our country need this message right now?
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Mickey-Logan/1065784027 Mickey Logan
  
  Hey, genius - you don't suppose that could be because THEY WERE ALL DESIGNED BY JACK KIRBY, do you???
  - PoopOnYouSon
    
    Wow, way to to take a shit on a thoughtful comment. Get mad at nothing much?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_Y2XE3Z45BNOKSIWU3HXFKK6I4Q ReynardF

The circle is the iconic design, and the triangle looks too much like Superman's diamond. The artist Bob Layton switched the monobeam to a triangular shape back in the 80's for the "Silver Centurion" variation of the armor, which later evolved to look more like a diamond over the years. As others pointed out, Adi Granov altered it back to a triangle, recently, in the Extremis miniseries that Warren Ellis wrote. The movie was referencing the Silver Centurion armor via the triangle and the red and silver suitcase armor. The triangle made temporary sense in the movie as they hinted that the new element was similar to vibranium, an alien metal in the Marvel Universe, hence a "V" shape.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Craig-Starsky/100001653369536 Craig Starsky

I heard a couple of fanboys in the lobby of Iron Man 2 saying the most ridiculous stuff about the triangle..I hesitate to even say it, but here's what I remember: "I hate they changed the%$^& chestpiece to a triangle when it's a triangle within a circle. Circle is best." "Well, you know why they did that, right?" "No, it's stupid. That's all." "Nope..they wanted to tie the gays to it. They have a triangle symbol, and in this movie IM has a male partner. That's why." Is this not the MOST ignorant thing you ever heard? What kind of mind would make that kind of comparison? Anyway, I don't care about the shape. I'm used to the classic/bulky comicbook armor, so any update to that design works for me. Besides, when we get right down to it..it's just a movie..about fictional characters. Right? (Still can't wait to see it!)
TotallyRandomName

Wow... whole lot of virgins posting here.
nightcall

I like the triangle. It has nothing to do with classicism. Eh.
TheWatcher

Circle < Shrap-Triangle < Six-sided-trapizoidal-triangle. Its so simple. If you want to evolve the armors unibeam prejection unit, you need only follow the progression of...-you know, the stories the movie armor is based on, rather then, i don't know...- Arbitrary preference. All that mess aside, the only shape conirfed to be of lesser or 'ass' quality, in source material, is the flimsy-armed star on Iron Patriot, shown by Spider-man as to easily cracked and shorted do to its excessive surface area. King Firefly needs to perhaps read more of the greatly acclaimed recent Iron man story arcs, rather then regress imagery back to the 1960s. Personaly I would like to see Extremis/Bioarmor in the series' stunning mix of real costume-tech and CGI. Sadly, interference on my part is forbidden in such matters.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Mickey-Logan/1065784027 Mickey Logan
  
  Don't be an idiot. Nothing in comics counts after 1986.