Joss Whedon quite possibly on "Avengers"

Deadline Hollywood, who has some of the best sources in the gossip business, says that Joss Whedon is Marvel's guy to direct "The Avengers:"
http://www.deadline.com/2010/04/marvel-close-to-whedon-hire-on-the-avengers/

I don't even have to say anything about this, do I?

If this is true, it's at once the surest thing and the biggest gamble Marvel could take.

On the one hand, Whedon is "in the family" having done a lot of comic writing for Marvel, and he's beloved in the "fanboy" community on a level usually reserved only for the "actual" superheroes. Waaaaay back when they were setting up the first Spider-Man movie, Marvel bought themselves the ultimate in fan-reassurance by tapping geek icon Sam Raimi to direct. This, if true, will have a similar effect: Avengers will be "awesome until proven guilty" from now until it comes out. Smooth sailing and nothing but free advertising and hype from the web set from here on out.

On the OTHER hand... for all the fan worship, Whedon basically has ONE successful TV show (and it's spinoff) to his name, while the rest of his output consists of one-season-wonders and movie that.. well, sorry, but pretty-much tanked. That's not to say he's NOT talented - he's a great writer, knows "team dynamics" in genre ficiton inside and out and can direct action - just that it's impressive that Marvel would trust him with what's prospectively the biggest superhero movie ever made.