Marvel announced at their Comic-Con panel last night that the sequel to The Avengers will be called The Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Everyone looked to the recent Age of Ultron storyline in the comics, a Terminator-esque plot that sends Wolverine and Invisible Woman back in time to kill Henry Pym (aka Ant-Man) before he can create Ultron.  That would be a major leap from where we left off in The Avengers, so when Marvel filmed a video interview with Joss Whedon, the director clarified they would not use this storyline: "We're doing our own version of the origin story of Ultron."

Ultron has always been the dream Avengers villain for Whedon, who said he discussed Ultron with Marvel for The Avengers 2 before he even signed on to direct The Avengers.  Hit the jump for more on how Whedon plans to integrate Ultron into his Avengers universe.

Here's the video with quotes below:

Clarifying the "Age of Ultron" adoption and crafting a new take on the foremost Avengers villain:

"A lot of people---because we called it Age of Ultron and there was a book, Age of Ultron just recently---assumed that was the storyline we are doing, which is not the case.  We're doing our own version of the origin story of Ultron.  The other thing is, in the origin story, there was Hank Pym.  So a lot of people assumed that he was going to be in the mix, but he's not.   Because we're basically taking the things from the comics for the movies that we need and can use.  A lot of stuff has to fall by the wayside.  Ultron was their chief villain.  He's been the Avengers villain for so long.  I was amazed anybody was surprised that it was going to be him in the movie.  We are crafting our own version of it where his origin comes more directly from the Avengers we already know about."

Henry "Hank" Pym moonlights as Ant-Man.  Edgar Wright's feature adaptation Ant-Man is scheduled for release on November 6, 2015, about six months after Age of Ultron's May 1, 2015 release.  There was speculation that Ant-Man could debut in The Avengers 2 before spinning off into his own movie.  Two years out, Ant-Man could still make his way into Age of Ultron, but Whedon appears to deny that here.  In the absence of Henry Pym, Tony Stark seems the likeliest candidate to fill in as the creator of Ultron in the new origin story.

Whedon says the sequel is darker, more sci-fi, and will take the Avengers around the world:

"It's a little bit darker than the other film because Ultron is in the house. There's a science fiction element that I think is a bit stronger than the other film... It is very much a global Avengers film.  A lot of the movie has to do with their place, not just in America, but in the world."

Finally, Whedon has bigger plans for Hawkeye in Age of Ultron:

"Part of the fun for me this time around is writing Hawkeye.  Because he did get possessed pretty early by a bad guy and had to walk around scowly for most of the movie last time.  So now it's nice to actually have the character there and really see him interact with the other guys."

The Avengers: Age of Ultron begins shooting in London in early 2014.