Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and the other 'Avengers' stars assembled in Hollywood for the sequel to 2012's blockbuster hit. They talked about playing their characters and the pressure associated with the superhero franchise.

Chris Evans' at Avengers premiere

'Avengers: Age of Ultron' premiered Monday at the Dolby Theater, where the Academy Awards are held.

The new film from Joss Whedon is a key part of Marvel's so-called "cinematic universe" that ties together 'Thor', 'Captain America' and even last summer's "Guardians of the Galaxy."

The first 'Avengers' movie, also written and directed by Whedon, made US$1.5 billion worldwide.

Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner and the Hulk, admits to feeling some pressure to match the success of the first film.

"Yeah, there's a lot of pressure but I also thought we had a really strong script going into it. And I personally have a lot of confidence in Joss and Marvel at this," he said.

Chris Evans, who stars as Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, says it is a challenge to face the media when Marvel's movie secrets are so closely guarded.

He said: "It's exciting trying to answer questions for people who are excited. It's exciting trying to get people enthusiastic about the future of what Marvel is trying to do. But, like I said, it is hard when you're a part of it, figuring out what you can say and what you can't say."

British actor Paul Bettany plays Vision, a new character that fans suspect could bridge the worlds of the 'Avengers' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.

"I'm very happy with my small place in this universe and seeing how that grows and watching how that moves forward and changes, because there's so many ways for Vision to go. In the comic books, he goes through so many transformations; I'm really interested to see what happens," he said.

As the 'Avengers' sequel rolls into theaters, many of its key actors, including Downey Jr. and Evans, are already set to begin filming the next Marvel movie, 'Captain America: Civil War'.

"The thing about the Marvel universe is that the continuity is genuine. It comes from the comics and from the movies and from Kevin's vision of the whole thing. I didn't know until we were almost done shooting that they were planning to do 'Civil War.' Kevin and I talked about it. He's like, 'Look at this scene, look at this scene from the first movie.' It's all been there. If it hadn't been, I don't think he would go there," director Joss Whedon said.

'Avengers: Age of Ultron' is set to open in US theaters May 1. It will begin hitting international theaters April 22.

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