Finally, the time has come: the release of Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron is upon us. Writer/director Joss Whedon had an unenviable task in following up the third highest grossing film in history, but he does so with flying colors in the stranger, darker, more intimate sequel that surpasses The Avengers in many ways. Whedon also shows that he's grown significantly as a filmmaker, with Age of Ultron showing a confident and ambitious touch behind the camera that was somewhat absent in the first film.

Plot-wise, by now you know that the movie finds the titular superhero team squaring off against Ultron (James Spader), an advanced, intelligent robot with a plan to achieve world peace by wiping out the human race.

With the movie’s domestic release just a couple of days away (it’s already cleaning up overseas), Marvel and Disney have released a slew of new high-resolution images that highlight the finished effects, including Paul Bettany’s stunning The Vision, Ultron’s goons, and of course a couple more looks at the glorious Hulk vs. Hulkbuster fight. There's also a few official set images thrown in for good measure, so you can see Whedon himself at work.

If you’re spoiler averse I’d advise you to turn away and come back to this article after you’ve seen the movie. Nothing is revealed outright, but there are some glimpses at the as-yet-unspoiled third act, which has by some miracle been kept out of the marketing thus far.

But if you are so inclined, check out the new images below, and click for high resolution. Avengers: Age of Ultron also stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Claudia Kim, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Andy Serkis, and Anthony Mackie, and opens in theaters stateside on May 1st.