Well, according to Whedon the execs were trying to get rid of the Thor sequence. It was originally longer and fully-formed, but they were worried about the running time. Whedon had to fight for the farm and Thor's stuff, but eventually relented on Thor to keep the farm. His editors convinced...
Yeah, I've heard that and it gave me pause. There is plenty in this world that is dark and depressing and plenty of art too. I don't want that from my Marvel superheroes.
Agreed. I'm hoping the trailer was just focusing on the serious stuff and that there is still a lot of fun in it. The fun and strange team chemistry is why I like the first one as much as I do.