In a brief interview with Variety, Andy Serkis, the man from which Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Caesar evolved, confirms that he’s playing a part in The Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Exactly what part remains a mystery, but Serkis was previously linked to the film in Q&As with Mark Ruffalo, suggesting that the Lord Of The Rings actor might appear alongside Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner as another hulking beast that may or may not be incredible. Some sort of gamma-ray-induced powers would be fitting, since Serkis’ face is usually at least partially green when he’s in his performance-capture getup.
But that’s where the mystery deepens, because Serkis’ roundabout answer to the question “Will we actually see your face?” means the actor could appear onscreen without the aid of sophisticated computer technology and what appears to be state-of-the-’80s-art hockey headgear. Age Of Ultron already has most of its new Avengers in place, while villains Ultron and Thanos are slated to be portrayed by James Spader and Josh Brolin, respectively. Brolin was reported to be “the voice” of Thanos, so there’s still a potential opening for Serkis there. Though it’s just as likely that, come the summer of 2015, kids everywhere will be scrambling to toy stores to scoop up action figures of Performance Capture Man, the new Avenger with the power to superimpose fantastic creations over his own form, all the while guaranteeing that any film he appears in will make at least $170 million at the box office.