 Casting began in October 2008 with Downey 's signing . Though Don Cheadle was also reported to be reprising his Iron Man 2 role of War Machine for The Avengers , he later stated that he did not think the character would appear in the film . At the same time , two major prospects occurred for Marvel : Jon Favreau was brought in as an executive producer for the film , and the company signed a long @-@ term lease with Raleigh Studios to produce three other big @-@ budget films — Iron Man 2 , Thor ( 2011 ) , and Captain America : The First Avenger ( 2011 ) — at their Manhattan Beach , California complex . Lou Ferrigno , who voiced Hulk in The Incredible Hulk , stated that he would be involved in the film . In February 2009 , Samuel L. Jackson signed a nine @-@ picture deal with Marvel Entertainment to play Nick Fury in Iron Man 2 and other films . In September 2009 , Edward Norton , who played Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk stated that he was open to returning in the film . The next month , executive producer Jon Favreau stated that he would not direct the film , but would " definitely have input and a say " . Favreau also expressed concerns , stating , " It 's going to be hard , because I was so involved in creating the world of Iron Man , and Iron Man is very much a tech @-@ based hero , and then with Avengers you 're going to be introducing some supernatural aspects because of Thor ... [ Mixing ] the two of those works very well in the comic books , but it 's going to take a lot of thoughtfulness to make that all work and not blow the reality that we 've created " . In March 2009 , actress Scarlett Johansson replaced Emily Blunt in portraying Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2 , a deal that subsequently attached her to The Avengers . The female superhero Wasp was included in an earlier draft of the script written before Johansson 's involvement . The following day , Marvel announced that the film 's release date had been pushed back to May 4 , 2012 , almost a full year later . Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston joined the film 's cast in June , returning as Thor and Loki , respectively . 
