I had strings
But now I’m free
There are no strings on me

This is the boast of generations.¹ It’s the boast of the 1960s sexual revolution. The boast of the 2000s “no religious affiliation” revolution. The boast of the ongoing 2010s sexual revolution 2.0. And so on.

Now it’s the boast of Ultron, the titular tyrannical robot overlord from Avengers: Age of Ultron.

In the new trailer he sounds like a hybrid of Megatron and The Joker. But he offers more evil philosophy than either.

“I want to show you something beautiful,” he intones. “Everyone screaming — for mercy.”

There’s kind of a layer here. Like maybe something about the trailer itself.

Because the trailer is beautiful. Hauntingly so. Marvel trailers have always been fun, but this one takes a step up — toward the elevation of the film teaser/trailer as an art form in itself.

Fans of Joss Whedon (I’m more of a casual fan myself) have remarked how he enjoys exploring the ideals of human freedom versus tyranny in his stories. But what happens when someone evil powers his own tyrannical machine with the boasts of freedom?

Avengers: Age of Ultron comes to theaters May 1, 2015.