Avengers: Age of Ultron is an epic, profound and immensely entertaining addition to the ever expanding Marvel comic-book movie canon, providing much to ponder in its battle between faux-Gods and super-men.

The “God-complex” scenario is a popular go-to in genre fiction. From Frankenstein to Watchmen, the tendency for characters to meddle with creation (often in the name of scientific advancement) is one that often leads to destruction, proving that if the road to Hell is paved with good intentions,  megalomania would surely take part in its construction.

For “Earth’s mightiest heroes” The Avengers, that road to Hell is paved by their resident know-it-all Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), who takes it upon himself to remove the world saving burden from the shoulders of his superhero brethren, by creating an artificial intelligence peace keeping force named Ultron (voiced by James Spader) who (of course) in its distorted logic views mankind as the enemy and sets about bringing forth its extinction.

And so Avengers do assemble and the fight is on. But when the weapons thrown at them are not only physically but also psychologically scarring, things get wonderfully complex as our heroes need to fight battles within themselves before they can save others.

It’s during these moments of introspection that we come to realise just how vital that superhero characters are portrayed by actors who possess dramatic chops to go along with physical prowess, with Avengers: Age of Ultron a blockbuster that’s as much about who these characters are and what they are made of when faced with the very real threat of annihilation.

As a result more backstory is given to those characters without their own franchises, resulting in a much more level playing field. Of course perennial star characters Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Iron Man are given plenty of screen time. But the real joy is watching Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson, so effortlessly scene stealing), Bruce Banner aka the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, finally getting to show off that charisma of his) play both human and hero in a much bigger way.

A hero is nothing without a villain, and in Ultron a fierce, cunning and mad foe is provided, a monstrous creation voiced by character actor extraordinaire James Spader in tones both chilling yet personable, revelling in his self-imposed “God” status with plans not of world domination but world reinvention, with perfection through evolution his symbol of divinity, cruelty his creed and cold steel and colder logic the foundation of his church.

Writer/director Joss Whedon knew that it would be foolish to try and outdo the epic, giddy action heights of the first Avengers, a movie that was as much an event as it was a culmination of a grand plan. No, instead of going bigger Whedon opted to delve deeper and hit pay-dirt in the process. The stakes on the line in this action adventure are not only sky-high but soul-deep. Whedon hits both points with an almighty wallop, resulting in a large canvas blockbuster that is as epic as it is profound.