Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant (2011) Review

Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant (2011)

Following the events of The Incredible Hulk, The Consultant follows Agent Colson and Agent Sitwell, who devise a plan to sabotage General Ross’ plans to free the Abomination and make him apart of the new Avengers initiative. 

Serving as a follow-up to both Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk, as part of the DVD release of Thor, The Consultant would be the first of (so far) 8 Marvel short films titled One Shots, meant to tell a self-contained, filler story in addition to certain events in the films. For their first, Agent Coulson and Agent Sitwell (the Hydra agent from Winter Soldier) meet in a diner to discuss the predicament surrounding the World Security Council’s decision to place Emil Blonsky’s Abomination on the Avengers, referring to him as a war hero after his less-than-heroic standoff with the Hulk in Harlem. Luckily, there’s one man who is as annoyingly, self-obsessed as it takes to convince General Thunderbolt Ross to reverse the decision—Tony Stark, rolling us right into the post-credit scene for The Incredible Hulk. 

It’s a quick little short, filled with snappy dialogue and some surprisingly personable characterization given to its two leads, but it’s very effective in filling in some minor blanks, while proving there’s a tad more going on behind the scenes of these movies, with even massive government agencies like SHIELD being bogged down possibly destructive decisions by the higher powers that be. That it wasn’t as cut and dry as choosing Banner to be the team’s oversized mascot, with the first choice being his equally oversized nemesis. It’s a small, irreverent detail (and short film), but one that makes this world feel slightly more lived in for it. 

Obviously, we get a small little cast, starring Tim Roth, William Hurt, Robert Downey Jr., Maximiliano Hernández, and Clark Gregg. I was shocked at how, for such a small little production, how much I loved the professional banter between Gregg and Hernández, proving a neat bit of snappy dialogue can go a long way. 

The Consultant, directed by Leythum, is a fun, little, irreverent short, that while completely unnecessary, fills in a small gap of time following thrashing of Harlem, revealing the more bureaucratic elements behind certain individuals getting into the Avengers initiative. 

9/10