The hallmark of any Joss Whedon joint, besides his usual lively ensemble banter, is the self-aware winks embedded within: Just when it seems like that superhero team-up will collapse beneath the weight of its own absurdity, Whedon drops a knowing meta-bomb, and everything is back in balance. Instead of inserting a comic-relief character who pricks the balloon, Whedon builds subversion into everyone ? and just like he did with The Avengers, Whedon laces Age of Ultron with zingers aimed squarely at the film and the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the whole.??