Anybody here ever go into a show or movie already knowing which couple you'll be rooting for, or shipping? Because I absolutely do, and not only when it's a book-to-screen adaptation where I'm already attached to a version of a couple.

No, I mean brand-new-to-me pairings that I get prematurely hooked on with very little to go on, like promo pictures, interviews, or even just character descriptions. Such was the case for me with Jack/Rose in Titanic back in the day (yes, I admit it!) and Clint/Natasha in The Avengers just last year. I also blame a certain recent post on LiveJournal's Oh No They Didn't community for my recent marathon catchup of The Borgias, which, let me tell you, will really make you wonder what TV is doing to your moral compass, even when it's all fiction. Anyway. This ever happen to you? Just me?

I'm wondering now if this will be the case for me with a show reportedly a lock for the ABC fall TV schedule: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., an Avengers spinoff from Joss Whedon starring Clark Gregg's Phil Coulson and Ming-Na Wen's Melinda May that'll focus on lower-level agents in Nick Fury's Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) spy intelligence agency.

It is still VERY early days for this show (I'm literally only going on character descriptions, some throwaway lines, and, let's face it, WILD SPECULATION), but already two characters in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s supporting cast have caught my serial-shipper imagination: Agents Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons, described as “A twosome so connected to each other they're known as 'Fitz-Simmons.' ”

[That all you got?...]

We know Downton Abbey is all over pop culture these days. How I Met Your Mother recently paid homage to the show when Marshall, Lily, and Ted found themselves addicted to a very similar period drama called Woodworthy Manor. And in an episode of The Mindy Project a few weeks back (“Santa Fe”), Mindy's ex Josh got a quick update from a high-profile pal/client (the Green Bay Packers's Clay Matthews) on the Crawley drama he'd missed while he was TV-less in rehab. Then there was the time the show was a hot topic with Gossip Girl's upper east siders (or at least with Serena's mom Lily)... The list goes on, really.

So yes, Downton is all over the place lately. But did anyone see that Iron Man 3 connection coming?

******MAJOR IRON MAN 3 SPOILERS AHEAD*****

[Who knew Tony could be so sensitive?...]

SQUEE! Just a few days after the first poster was released, Marvel has gifted us the first trailer from Thor: The Dark World, with delicious teases of a) a love triangle b) an ultimate sacrifice c) Thor's awesomely huge hammer (!) and d) Loki and Thor's literal bromance!

Thor: The Dark World is out in theaters November 8, 2013.

Summer movie season is almost upon us! Iron Man 3 will debut in the U.S. on May 3, just a couple weeks away, and with that the summer blockbuster season will have launched. And between IM3, Man of Steel, Star Trek: Into Darkness, The Wolverine, Much Ado About Nothing, and more, we here at Heroes and Heartbreakers have a feeling it's going to be an amazing few months at the theater.

Which film are you most eager to see this summer?

Just released is a poster for Thor: The Dark World, in which Thor presumably gets to put the hammer down on anyone who gets in his way. The movie will be released in November of this year.

Here's the blurb:

Thor battles an ancient race of Dark Elves led by the vengeful Malekith who threatens to plunge the universe back into darkness after the events of The Avengers.

Like in the first film, joining Chris Hemsworth as Thor will be Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, and Ray Stevenson. Christopher Eccleston will play Malekith.

For more Marvel goodness, check out our roundup of Captain America 2 news, Avengers review, Avengers Beefcake, and Black Widow/Hawkeye speculation.

The final hour is at hand. We've talked Vampire Academy, TVD, and the role of Horror in Romance. But what is the not-so-hidden secret obsession of Site Manager Heather Waters? What is it about a certain pair of secret agents that she finds so appealing? What about this upstart Lizzie Bennet? Besides Heather's obsessions, this week we talk about who is the Best Darcy, Enemies-to-Friends-to-Lovers, and the Best Rejections Scene in Romance.

Not sure what this is all about? Last month, H&H staffers began the H&H Off-Hours video series, where we discuss various topics that interest us. Typically late at night and fueled by plenty of wine and/or beer. Sit back and listen to us ramble. And don't forget to let us know what you think in the comments!

-Megan, Heather, Chris, and Jenn at Team H&H

Alisa Kwitney
New Avengers: Breakout
Marvel / January 1, 2013 / $24.99 print

Fantasy/romantic fiction/comics author Alisa Kwitney (A Flight of Angels, Moonburn) reveals the secret backstory of Avengers couple Hawkeye and the Black Widow. Under secret orders to assassinate the Widow, the rough-edged marksman finds himself caught up in a violent prison break that releases some of the world's most vicious and powerful criminals. Defying his superiors, Hawkeye joins forces with the sultry Russian spy—and with a mismatched group of personalities that include Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Luke Cage, Captain America and Iron Man. Unexpected betrayals and shocking revelations will lead the team from Manhattan's top security Raft prison to the untamed jungle of the Savage Land in dramatically different take on Brian Michael Bendis' blockbuster Avengers comics debut. Learn the sizzling backstory of your favorite big-screen heroes in this adaptation, inspired by the best of page and screen!

Fans of the Black Widow/Hawkeye pairing from this summer's The Avengers can get their next fix with Alisa Kwitney's New Avengers: Breakout prose novel, which combines an Avengers comics story line (namely Brian Michael Bendis's New Avengers: Breakout) and elements from the movie, like the chemistry that actors Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner brought to their portrayals of the master assassins on the big screen. If you couldn't get enough of them in the movie but aren't sure how to jump into the vast comics universe where their story originated, New Avengers: Breakout may help bridge the gap. Plus...well, it's a fun take on Black Widow and Hawkeye's backstory!

[And who could resist that?...]

As you may have heard, Marvel has announced that Joss Whedon will in fact be writing and directing the sequel to this year’s box office juggernaut The Avengers. But that’s not all: Whedon has also signed a 3-year deal with Marvel to produce movies and television exclusively for the studio until June 2015, which means he’ll also have a hand in developing a live-action Marvel show for ABC (parent company Disney owns both Marvel and the network ABC) and the other movies planned for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the next few years.

To which I say: Hell yeah!

We’re still short on details about what the TV series could be like (lots of talk out there about how awesome a SHIELD series would be), but Whedon told Digital Spy a few months back that if he were to work on The Avengers 2, he wouldn’t try to go bigger than the first film. He’d top The Avengers by:

[In which we get a hint at Whedon’s sequel plans...maybe...]

I wasn’t looking for a new couple to ’ship. I really wasn’t. But by the time the credits started rolling on Joss Whedon’s Avengers, I knew I was a goner. The relationship between master-assassins-turned-SHIELD-agents Clint “Hawkeye” Barton and Natasha “Black Widow” Romanoff intrigued me from the start (from the interviews and pictures alone, I gleaned theirs might be a story not so very different from my beloved Kara/Lee from Battlestar Galactica), but the reality was so much better. Long story short, I ’ship it like FedEx, and you should too.

***Warning: From this point forward I’ll assume all reading this have seen the movie. So, you know, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD***

I know what you might be thinking: But Avengers is an action movie! There “ain’t at lot of time for kissin’”—Joss said so! Plus...Black Widow and Hawkeye are friends! Partners, even!

Well, yes, all of this is true. And yet. It’s *also* true that, if you look closely, there are several signs (at least 5) that if they’re not already head over heels for each other, Clint and Natasha are very likely hurtling toward resolving all that delicious UST in some as-yet-unannounced future film.

[“Your world in the balance and you bargain for one man?”...]