It’s still about two months to go before Marvel’s The Avengers assemble on the big screen, but SFX (via Digital Spy) managed a few details from writer/director Joss Whedon about both the first film and a potential sequel.

“I want to know what makes them tick, what makes them flawed, what makes them fight – and ultimately, what makes them awesome,” Whedon says of his superhero team. “I go to these movies for those moments when the heroes define themselves, either through action or deliciously overwritten speeches.”

Asked how a sequel could possibly be bigger than what he has planned for the May 4th release, Whedon responded:

“By not trying to. By being smaller. More personal, more painful… By being the next thing that should happen to these characters, and not just a rehash of what seemed to work the first time. By having a theme that is completely fresh and organic to itself.”

Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel’s The Avengers is the superhero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, 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.

The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson.