Following the massive success of "Marvel's the Avengers," creating a sequel that could somehow outdo the new reigning champion of summer blockbusters seemed like a daunting task. But longtime Avengers fans knew that there was one villain who could easily keep the superteam on their toes: Ultron.

"Avengers 2" director Joss Whedon proved to be on the same page as the fans when he revealed the sequel's subtitle: "Age of Ultron." The writer/director opened up about his plans for the sequel in a lengthy interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"I knew right away what I wanted to do with him," said Whedon. "He's always trying to destroy the Avengers. Goddammit, he's got a bee in his bonnet. He's not a happy guy, which means he's an interesting guy." But for those out there expecting Ultron to be a run-of-the-mill robot villian, then you don't know Whedon. "He's got pain. And the way that manifests is not going to be standard robot stuff."

Part of humanizing a ruthless villain like Ultron includes stripping away some of his powers, especially considering the less fantastical — but still heightened — world Whedon hopes to create in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"We'll take away some of those powers because at some point everybody becomes magic, and I already have someone who's a witch," explained Whedon, referencing new addition to the team, Scarlet Witch.

But who exactly is Ultron, and why should the Avengers fear him? Let's take a look at five facts about Ultron.

Daddy Issues
Like any artificial intelligence, Ultron had to be created by someone. In ...

The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards aren't until Sunday, but BK is already getting the party started. The Brooklyn Don Diva, Foxy Brown set things off on Wednesday as she opened up a special episode of "RapFix Live" by performing her new single "Bandz Up" in the Barclays Center.

It was all part of MTV's VMA All Access kick-off, a multiscreen experience that is bringing fans all sorts of exclusive programming in the days leading up to Sunday's big show. Fox seized the moment, flanked by Mouse, who performed the song's hook.

The street tune marks a return to music for the Brooklyn rapper who took a number of years off after she faced hearing trouble staring in 2005 and then a brief jail stint. With all the drama behind her, Brown returned to music triumphantly as she performed the new tune for the very first time on "RapFix," strutting in a tight designer dress and high heels. "Yeah, it's Fox in the Lambo drop/ I got New York on my back, I'm back to take hip-hop," she spit with her familiar Brooklyn gruff and a thuggish bounce.

King Fox's energetic performance set up a star-studded program that featured Big Sean, Joey Bada$$, Scott Storch, Uncle Murda, Buckshot and DJ Clark Kent. Thursday (August 22) at 5 p.m. ET, "RapFix Live" will be back with another special episode featuring Pusha T, Lil Cease and Junior Mafia. Joell Ortiz will also take us on a food tour through Brooklyn and it can all be found on AllAccess.MTV.com.

The Brooklyn VMA celebration ...

All aboard — the next stop on the Dauntless train is Brooklyn's Barclays Center for the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.

stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James will exclusively debut the official first look from their dystopian drama during the VMA pre-show, airing August 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. And we've got a sneak peek at the footage, which also features Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet in her role as Jeanine Matthews. Watch the preview below!

The film, based on the best-selling novel by Veronica Roth, is set in a near-future Chicago, in which society has been divided into five factions each representing a different virtue — Abnegation (selflessness), Erudite (intelligence), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (peacefulness) and Candor (honesty). Teens are tested to determine their faction, but when protagonist Beatrice "Tris" Prior (Woodley) discovers she doesn't fit neatly into any group, she's left to find her own place within the world, ultimately leaving her friends and family to take up with the daring Dauntless.

"Divergent" opens March 21, 2014.

In addition to his VMA pre-show appearance, James and co-star Miles Teller will sit down with MTV's Josh Horowitz for a 30-minute interview on Saturday, August 24 at 6:30 p.m. ET as part of the VMA All Access live stream leading up to the big night. Send your questions for James and Teller via Twitter, Instagram and Vine using the hashtag #AskVMA.

The VMA pre-show kicks off at 8 p.m. ET with performances by Austin Mahone and Ariana Grande. Mahone will perform his single "What About Love," while Grande will sing "The Way" ...

Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis may lead the field of nominees foor the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, but there are a host of other artists — Robin Thicke, Bruno Mars and Miley Cyrus, to name just a few — who are nipping on their heels. In short, this year's show could belong to anybody.

Needless to say, picking winners in the big VMA categories was proving tough ... so we reached out to the oddsmaking experts at the Bovada.lv sportsbook to get their take on some of Sunday night's key races. After all, they do this for a living; though, with a field this tightly bunched, even they're having a hard time choosing favorites.

"These odds are based mainly on media consensus, public popularity, historical betting information, and of course some math," Bovada sportsbook manager Kevin Bradley tells MTV News. "Last year there was not much movement in odds on any of the categories — in fact, almost everyone was evenly bet amongst all nominees. This year we hope that is the same case, but if we do see betting trends and increased bets on certain nominees, there could be big movement in some of these odds."

They're using math. So you know they're taking the 2013 VMAs pretty seriously. Here's Bovada's picks to click at this year's show:

Video of the Year
» Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell, "Blurred Lines," 5/4
» Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "Thrift Shop," 3/2
» Justin Timberlake, "Mirrors," 7/2
» Taylor Swift, "I Knew You Were Trouble," ...

It's Kanye West like you've never seen him before. Two days before he takes the stage to perform at Sunday's 2013 VMAs, the Chicago rapper's candid interview with Kris Jenner will air on her talk show.

In several previews released on Thursday (August 22), the normally reserved rapper is opens up about his personal life, fatherhood and romance with Jenner's famous daughter, Kim Kardashian. In one clip, West even remembers feeling surprised at how many people advised him to rethink his choice when he began dating the reality TV star.

"That I could have people saying, 'You know, this is going to damage your cred as an artist or as a designer.' And I say, 'I don't care, I love this woman," Kanye says candidly. "Or someone could say, 'You know, when the paparazzi surround you — people everywhere knows you don't like the paparazzi — why would you be with this person?' And I'm saying, 'I'm being with this person because I love this person and she's worth it to me.' "

The G.O.O.D. Music rapper also recalls a lesson he learned from his grandfather, Portwood Williams Sr., who died earlier this month. (Kanye, Kim and their daughter, North, reportedly attended the funeral in Oklahoma, marking the family's second public appearance this month.)

"My grandfather just passed, and his whole thing was never about money, it was never about popularity. His whole thing was joy, just joy having joy in his life," West says. "And [Kim's] my joy and she brought my new joy into the world," ...

Joell Ortiz grew up in Brooklyn's Cooper Park housing projects, but these days you'll more likely see the Shady Records rapper strolling around Williamsburg's hip streets to satiate his food kicks.

As a part of BK Hip-Hop Week, a celebration of the borough before it hosts the 2013 Video Music Awards this Sunday, Joell took a trip to his favorite local food spots in the borough. It all airs at 5 p.m. on "RapFix Live" as part of MTV's All Access Live Experience. The show will also feature special guests Pusha T, Junior Mafia and more.

Back in his early days, Chinese take-out was considered fine dining. "The main thing you eat is Chinese food," he said of his time growing up in the projects. "There were certain meals you got in the Chinese store depending on how your pockets looked. Now if you got a dollar or two dollars back then — I'm not that old! — you got chicken wings, and you got a little extra dollar you got chicken wings and french fries. That's the main 'hood meal you can get. But when you had four dollars, you got chicken and broccoli and the first time I ever had an order of chicken and broccoli I was like ballin'!"

These days, Joell is living flush after the success of his Slaughterhouse group with Joe Budden, Crooked I and Royce da 5' 9", but his modern menu still takes a cue from his Chinese chicken days. He said he's a huge fan of the chicken burger at ...

Drake pushed the release date for his third album Nothing Was The Same just a few days to September 24, but he followed that announcement with the official cover art for his LP, just so we know it's real. Naturally, fans have had a lot to say about the new artwork, which some proclaimed was pure "greatness."

The VMA nominee unveiled the cover via Instagram on Wednesday featuring an image of baby Drake with a mini afro and a second side profile of a fully matured Aubrey. Placed next to it each other, the images find Drake staring at himself, and likely symbolize him taking glimpses at the past and the future.

The graphics are courtesy of painter and illustrator Kadir Nelson, who, according to Complex, has crafted projects for artists like Michael Jackson, publications like Sports Illustrated and even for the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Postal Service. Not to mention that he's penned best-selling books about famous figures that include Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Reaction to the cover was immediate across social media. The image of baby Drake was "liked" by over 223, 000 fans on Instagram, while fully grow Aubrey was "liked" by more than 215, 000 fans with almost 4,000 comments. The rapper's tweet pegging Nelson to the cover art was retweeted nearly 2,500 times.

@RobynIsMyGal couldn't hide his enthusiasm, declaring that "Drake's New Album cover is just greatness predicted!" and @jimmyyadig agreed that it is a win, adding, "Drake's album cover for Nothing was the Same is dope and fits ...

Crazed stalkers, true love, parties and topless models. The competition for the Best Male Video award at Sunday night's 2013 MTV Video Music Awards is full of drama, and, yes, boobs.

From Robin Thicke's summer-smashing "Blurred Lines" and Justin Timberlake's cinematic "Mirrors" to Kendrick Lamar's slow-motion bottle-smasher "Swimming Pools (Drank)," Ed Sheeran's creepy doppelganger clip for "Lego House" and Bruno Mars' house party in "Locked Out of Heaven," the men are going hard this year.

While you await the winner, here's a list of our six favorite things from the nominees:

"Blurred Lines" Was Originally Even Sexier
The original version of the most talked-about video of the summer was sexy, but not that sexy. Robin Thicke thought he had a pretty cool promo for his career-best smash, but director Diane Martel knew they could do better. "I wrote the idea as a nude video and refused to do the job when they said they didn't want a nude version, that no one would see it," Martel told MTV News about the triple-nominated clip. "A week went by and they begged me to do it and said I could do a nude version, if I also did them a favor and did a dressed version. I like both versions now. I think Robin likes both too, we all do."

Sheeran Called In His "Harry Potter" Marker For "Lego House"
For years, people have been telling Sheeran that "Potter" star Rupert Grint looks exactly like him. So, looking for an opportunity to mess with all the people who've told him that over ...

Sue Sylvester isn't typically one to dole out praise, but the character's real-life alter ego took to Twitter to compliment the moving tribute episode written for co-star Cory Monteith, who died on July 13 at the age of 31.

"Just read Cory Monteith memorial episode. Most beautiful thing. Thank you, @MrRPMurphy @BFalchuk Ian Brennan," Jane Lynch tweeted Wednesday.

The actress told E! News that filming on the episode would likely begin Friday, and that it would no doubt be a struggle saying goodbye to Monteith and his character, Finn Hudson.

"It's gonna be awful," she said. "It's gonna be terrible. It has to be done but it's gonna be awful."

Although Fox president Kevin Reilly originally said the episode would "deal directly with drug addiction and with the circumstances surrounding Cory's death," showrunner Murphy later told Deadline in an interview that Finn's death would not be drug-related.

"There were a lot of things that we had to decide — how are we going to deal with his death? At one point, we were going to have his character die after an accidental drug overdose — that was something we had considered. But we have decided that we're not going to have him pass from that," Murphy said. "Basically, what we're doing in the episode is we are not telling you yet, or maybe not at all, how that character died. The idea being, how somebody died is interesting and maybe morbid, but we say very early on in the episode, 'This episode is about a celebration of ...