The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man are two of the biggest tentpoles next summer, but no film has as much star power as Joss Whedon‘s The Avengers. After years of world-building, Marvel’s top superheroes are finally getting altogether and we have an extended look at footage with the first trailer. The chemistry is there and those explosions look top-notch. We also get a first look at the Hulk and it looks to follow in line with the previous incarnations. I’ll be looking forward to see more of Whedon’s touch in future previews, but as a piece of hype, this works quite well.

Whedon‘s film stars Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Mark Ruffalo (replacing Edward Norton as The Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) along with numerous other familiar faces such as Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgard and Cobie Smulders. Check out the trailer below via Apple.

Synopsis:

Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”–the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012. In “Marvel’s The Avengers,” superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.

The Avengers hits theaters May 4th, 2012.