Fans lined Hollywood Boulevard near the iconic Graumann’s Chinese Theatre on Wednesday night in Hollywood, the street occupied by a huge red carpet tent lined with throngs of media and photographers jostling for position. One by one the stars of Marvel’s The Avengers arrived and made their way down, waving to screaming fans and enduring the barrage of media scrutiny about their clothes, the roles, the future of the franchise and more.

For all the fantastical elements, the war story ironically has the most emotional heft; hinging it on a few good costumes and sets feels throwaway.

So with another enjoyable, profitable film behind him and with a resume most directors spend their careers dreaming about (having directed Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Al Pacino, Kevin Costner, Robin Williams and Pierce Brosnan), after making of one the most expensive adventure film in history at the time of its release (1997’s Dante’s Peak) and consistently blitzing the box office in drama, thriller, sci-fi and noir, are there any ambitions left?