There’s no doubt that the latest trailers have raised some comparisons between The Avengers and explode-fests like Transformers. Now Joss Whedon has come forward to talk about earning the spectacle of The Avengers and grappling with actor Mark Ruffalo.

In a new interview with GQ Magazine (via CBM), Whedon talks about earning the huge action setpieces in The Avengers, as well as helping Mark Ruffalo find his inner rage.

GQ: We read that you fought with the Hulk on the set of Avengers Assemble.
It’s fun to say that Mark Ruffalo and I fought a great deal, because he’s the sweetest man that I may ever have met. Yes, we did actually lay out some mats and tussle but just trying to figure out what the Hulk would be doing, what a person does in a real fight. Once he gets angry you have to keep asking “well what’s making him angry now…” and go moment-to-moment. That’s been the hardest thing in this movie. Mark is tremendous, I think he’s going to blow people away – again – and we’ve gone where nobody has. We [have] Hulk in the house and everything pisses him off.

GQ: How worried were you about making Avengers too big?
The trick is always “is it earned?” Does the sound and fury signify anything? With this film it was always a question of if the audience was going to go through this, making sure the Avengers went through it as well: really testing them, not just watching them punch people for two hours. It is big because it is by necessity big – it’s not spectacle for its own sake and I’m not good at that. They wouldn’t hire me for that, they’d get another guy. They’d get somebody whose specialty was carnage. It’s partly the reason that Drew was the right person for Cabin: he will wade in gore with the glee of a 12-year-old. Whereas I will wade in Glee… [laughs]. I don’t think people will watch Avengers and say “Oh, it’s entered into the baroque stage and it’s too much” I believe in the story and the people that I work. I’m just excited for everybody to see all the fun I’ve had.

Good to see that Joss is making sure that The Avengers won’t be full of sound and fury signifying nothing!