With this summer's one-two punch of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, it's no secret that Marvel Studio's plan is to release a bunch of superhero movies, and then unite all the characters for an Avengers film. This brings tears of joy to comic book fans everywhere; they've had permanent erections ever since the scene at the end of the Iron Man credits.

Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man, talked to USA Today yesterday about the line-up of heroes in the Avengers movie: "The ones Marvel is talking about now," he said, "are Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man and Iron Man. I would love to see that."

In terms of stand-alone movies, Iron Man and Hulk can already be checked off the list - although Iron Man 2 is still aiming for a summer 2010 release date. That leaves three superheroes who need their own movies before the Avengers drops, which is supposed to be summer 2011. Let's take a look at the status of each film.

THOR: Aiming for a release date in June 2010, the film will follow the disabled Donald Blake, who finds a magical hammer that transforms him into the mythological warrior-god. Brad Pitt is at the top of the studio's wish list for the role.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: The hope is to release The First Avenger: Captain America in May 2011, followed a few months later by The Avengers. The character's backstory is closely tied to the Hulk's: mild-mannered Steve Rodgers is given a dose of the super-serum being developed by The Incredible Hulk's General Ross and turned into a super-soldier. Last year, a few rumors swirled about Scott Speedman; more recently it was hinted that they'll be pursuing Leonardo DiCaprio, but it's doubtful that he'd accept the role. (Then again, they nabbed Edward Norton...)

ANT-MAN: If Batman and Spider-Man weren't household names, they would probably sound just as ridiculous as Ant-Man. Unfortunately, they are, and Ant-Man's not, so the biggest hurdle this movie will have to make is convincing