'The Avengers' Super Bowl Commercial Tease, Twitter Chat Recap, IMAX Announcement

For the past week, Marvel had been pimping a live, Twitter chat featuring Joss Whedon, Clark Gregg, Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson regarding The Avengers. We'll it's now over and it was very uneventful. The two biggest revelations were Whedon confirmed there's not a Spider-Man cameo in the Disney movie and Samuel L. Jackson teased an upcoming Nick Fury film. Oh, and then they showed a 10-second tease of the 30-second Avengers Super Bowl commerical featuring our first glimpse at the film's villains. That was cool.

At the same time, Disney/Marvel officially announced that The Avengers will be released in IMAX 3D on May 4

After the jump, read a selection of the best question and answers from the chat, watch the commercial and read the press release.

Here's the tease of the Super Bowl commercial featuring new footage:

The villains in question are, I'd guess, the ships that blow up the streets of New York around the 10-11 second mark. Expect more come Sunday.

And now here are some select questions and answers from the chat:

How many #Avengers comics did you read as reference for this movie?

Joss Whedon: "I had already read them all."

Is the movie's plot going to reference any classic Avengers stories or be a more "ulitmate-ized" story?

Joss Whedon: "It's a combo platter: classic, Ultimate, plus a little "Richie Rich" & "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Was there an Avenger you wanted to put in the movie but couldn't make it work for whatever reason be it budget or time?

Joss Whedon: "I'm a fan of the Wasp. She's goofy and sting-y

Were the stunts more difficult this time around in The Avengers as opposed to Thor & how'd u prepare for them?

Tom Hiddleston: "More stunts. More training. Day in, day out. Running, jumping, flying, twisting. We worked like athletes. It was really fun."

Will we get to see any background on Fury?

Samuel L. Jackson: "not yet"

What about the Spiderman cameo in Avengers?

Joss Whedon: "There is no Spider-Man cameo. But the Avengers do turn off the dark."

Might we see a more mischievous (rather than mostly just evil) Loki in the Avengers ?

Tom Hiddleston: "ENTIRELY. More mischievous. More evil. More hubristic. More delusional. More damaged. More badass."

How much of your own stunts did you do? How did you prepare for all the physical work?

Samuel L. Jackson: "As much as the insurance company allowed. I prepped by working out a bit."

Has the ante been upped on Easter Eggs? And if so, how attentive will movie goers have to be to stop them?

Joss Whedon: "There will be actual dyed eggs. Try to find them all!"

Can you enjoy Avengers without seeing all the other films?

Joss Whedon: "You don't need to see any Marvel movies to enjoy Avengers! But you need to see Steel Magnolias, like, six times."

In Thor Loki was looking for Odin's attention and approval, now is he looking for revenge?

Tom Hiddleston: "He doesn't want revenge so much as identity. Belonging. Purpose. Self-esteem. Through delusional dreams."

How long did it take to shoot the movie?

Joss Whoedon: "I started when I was 12 and should be done by May 3rd at 11:59 pm."

Loki's costume looks great, but so terribly intricate. How long did it usually take getting everything on?

Tom Hiddleston: "About forty-five minutes to an hour, depending on how energetic I am feeling. Kudos to Bob Moore Jr."

Scariest moment on set? Any injuries? #Avengers

Tom Hiddleston: "I smashed my elbow when facing down the great green incarnation of rage. I guess the Hulk really does smash."

Finally, here's the IMAX press release. Pretty standard stuff:

IMAX Corporation, Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Studios today announced that the epic super hero adventure Marvel's The Avengers will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX 3D format and released in IMAX digital theatres worldwide day-and-date on May 4, 2012.

Marvel's The Avengers, based on the well-known Marvel comic book series, is written and directed by Joss Whedon and stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson.

Distributed by The Walt Disney Studios, Marvel's The Avengers: An IMAX 3D Experience marks the third Marvel Studios film presented in IMAX, following the releases of Iron Man 2: The IMAX Experience in 2010 and Thor: An IMAX 3D Experience in 2011.

Marvel's The Avengers is the second tentpole film from Walt Disney Pictures to be confirmed as part of IMAX's 2012 film slate.  John Carter, which will be released on March 9, will play for 3 weeks in IMAX film theatres and 2 weeks in IMAX's digital network.

"This highly anticipated gathering of Marvel's epic superheroes combined with the brilliant vision of Joss Whedon is sure to wow audiences when presented in IMAX 3D," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment.  "The Avengers is a perfect film to kick off our 2012 summer slate and we anticipate this limited IMAX engagement will be a must-see for fans around the world."

The IMAX release of Marvel's The Avengers will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX 3D Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

So, unlike The Dark Knight Rises or Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Avengers will not have full IMAX scenes, just be released on the larger screen.

Are you excited all this major push for The Avengers is beginning?