When it came time to decide who should direct The Avengers, guess who totally slew the competition?

Joss Whedon is about to ink a deal that will have him helming the multi-superhero action flick, based on the classic comic books, for Marvel Studios, Variety reported Tuesday.

This will be Whedon's second feature directorial effort and his first film since 2005's Serenity, the big-screen resolution to his short-lived but much-loved space drama Firefly.

He's low on cinematic experience, but considering how Whedon has excelled at directing casts full of ass-kicking heroes, who better than the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to get Iron Man, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk and Thor in shape for a May 4, 2012, release date?

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans (who recently was tapped for Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor himself) and Samuel L. Jackson (as Nick Fury) are all expected to star in the film, and Marvel is hoping to get Edward Norton to go green as the Hulk one more time, as well.