It's been a great year for Joss Whedon fans—we got The Avengers, The Cabin in the Woods, a Firefly reunion special and a number of promised future projects. So it's no surprise many fans have Whedon on the brain this holiday season.

Before Joss Whedon stepped in to direct this summer's successful little film called The Avengers, there was another big name director who was invited to pitch in on the Marvel Studios blockbuster film.

With a Japanese setting and gritty buzz coming from the set, we already knew The Wolverine was going to be a different beast than the original X-Men trilogy and recent Origins prequel. Now, director James Mangold wants to clarify further—his movie is nothing like recent box office juggernaut The Avengers, either.

Joss Whedon is notorious for working with the same group of actors, writers and directors—and one lovely former Firefly star is making a play for his upcoming Avengers spin-off TV series S.H.I.E.L.D..