The comic book movie genre has undergone something of a metamorphosis over the past few years. Whereas it was once something that mainly appealed to a dedicated group of followers it is now a major event for almost everyone on the planet. When superheroes dominate the home video, gaming console war and cinema world, it can be said that 'the geeks have inherited the Earth.'

This past Summer moviegoers were bombarded with shields, green rings, hammers and vintage nuclear submarines but that's nothing compared to next year when several blockbusters will be dropped in quick succession; Avengers, the Dark Knight Rises, Superman, Spider-Man and more.

Anticipation is high for the Avengers film in comic book fandom and beyond thanks to the media blitz surrounding the movie and the addition of cult favorite Joss Whedon as director.  Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and the Hulk will join forces along with Hawkeye, Black Widow and Nick Fury's agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to combat a deadly threat so immense that it'll take over two hours to deal with it.

Hot on the heels of last week's trailer release, footage was shown at the 2011 New York Comic Con. While no video stream is currently available, there is this neat vid of the cast at the 2011 NYCC Avengers panel with Nerdist Chris Hardwick.

For anyone interested, just click on the link below to read a breakdown of the footage as posted on io9.

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