Agents of A.R.G.U.S. - Part 2

Agents of A.R.G.U.S. - Part 2 is a 2014 American superhero film based on the DC Comics organization A.R.G.U.S. (Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans), distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the second film in the DC Shared Universe. The film was directed by Jon Favreau, with a screenplay by Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. It stars Chris Messina, Asia Argento, Henry Cavill, Kaya Scodelario, Ed Westwick, Karen Gillan, Brian Austin Green, Elisha Cuthbert, B.J. Britt, Henry Ian Cusick, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and Tom Cruise. In Agents of A.R.G.U.S. - Part 2, Theo Austen's team of A.R.G.U.S. specialists are led by Sasha Bordeaux in finding Theo Austen. However, once the team is reunited, a larger threat hangs above them.

Agents of A.R.G.U.S. - Part 2 was released in North America on May 23, 2014. The film was a commercial hit, grossing $830.3 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews, with critics stating it was an improvement from the first and pointing out the acting and villains as highlights.

Plot
During his time in captivity, Theo Austen is subjected to a Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine and discovers the truth behind his resurrection: after his death, Amanda Waller ordered that Austen be brought Project A.R.U.B.A., a top-secret operation whose purpose was to find a way to resurrect its subjects, where Austen was subjected to numerous drugs and procedures that were so painfully endearing, Austen was no longer the man he was previous to his death. He had "lost the will to live". In order to restore his spirit, Austen's memories had to be re-written so the trauma of the experience would not be remembered. Not long after he learns this, his team comes to his aid and rescues him, having been under the charge of Agent Sasha Bordeaux. After a mission at the A.R.G.U.S. Academy, the team learns that corrupt industrialist Joel Peters is in league with the Omnipotent and pursues him to China, where Jo discovers John Corben is in fact alive, but is under the control of the Omnipotent. Peters shoots Jo and wounds her fatally. To save her life, the team joins with Walter Jale's former commanding officer, John Peril and Abraham Twint. The group travels to the Guest House, the facility where Austen was revived, and recovers a drug from there called GH.325. Olivia Phillips injects the drug into Jo to regenerate her body and heal her. However, while there, Austen discovers that the drugs actually originated from a dead alien organism, and feared the effects the drugs might have on Jo. Austen's team begins an operation to finally locate the Omnipotent. However, their efforts are hindered by Corben, who has been labeled "Metallo" by A.R.G.U.S. after the project that gave him his new heart; while all of this is happening, The D.E.O.'s infiltration of A.R.G.U.S. is exposed by Superman, and A.R.G.U.S. falls into anarchy. Believing Austen and his team to be D.E.O. loyalists, Agent Bordeaux attempts to terminate the team. The team is able to convince her otherwise, as Agent Peril reveals himself to be the true Omnipotent, the financier behind the Caterpillar Project and a D.E.O. insurgent. With help from Agent Jale, who is also a D.E.O. mole, Peril escapes with Agent Bordeaux's death. Peril frees Lily and Peters, and together they resume their work on the Caterpillar formula.

However, they require important information from Austen's Team Hard Drive which had been encrypted by Jo, and Jale is sent in to manipulate her into opening the files for them. While most of the team rescued Austen's former lover, Leila Hayden from Ethan Davids, Jale abducts Jo with assistance from Metallo. Teaming up with Steve Trevor and escaping from David Singh, Austen and his team pursue Jale from Mexico to New York City, rescuing Jo. The team traces Peril and Jale to AmerTek, a technology corporation that was responsible for the upgrades given to John Corben, which is also a front for D.E.O. There, they uncover files that reveal Peril was the original Metallo back in 1990, and his enhancements were failing, putting his life at risk. He was only allied with D.E.O. so he may use their resources to save his own life. Lily manages to do so by synthesizing the drug that was synthesized from the dead alien with Peril's enhancements, further augmenting his strength and perceptions. After Dave Stewart and Olivia Phillips are ejected from the Train into the ocean by Jale, they are rescued by Amanda Waller, with Phillips well, but Stewart in critical condition. Waller assists the team in taking down Peril and Jale once and for all. After a climactic battle at a AmerTek Manufacturing Facility, Althea Rice subdues Jale while Peril is killed by the freed Metallo, then obliterated by Austen using the Carioca weapon. Jale is imprisoned, and Waller leaves Austen to re-create A.R.G.U.S. as its new director before leaving to subdue the remaining D.E.O. cells across the world. Metallo, no longer bound to Peril, departs to find a new purpose for himself. In a a mid-credits scene, Lily visits Jo's Father, informing him that she has found his daughter, as she presents him with a photograph of Jo.

Cast
Tzi Ma, Isaac Andrews, Cam Gigandet, and Bokeem Woodbine reprise their roles as Albert Ron, Jack Corben, Steve Trevor, and Dale Gunn from the first film, respectively, with the latter two also having roles in additional DC Shared Universe installments. Tyler Hoechlin,  Mark Pellegrino,  and Viola Davis appear as Superman, Devin Drake, and Amanda Waller, respectively, reprising their roles from earlier DC Shared Universe installments. Peter Facinelli, Christine Adams, Amy Acker, Patrick Sabongui and Patrick Brennan portray new characters Maxwell/Michael Lord, Marie Bell, Leila Hayden, David Singh, and Ethan Davids, respectively.
 * Chris Messina as Agent Theo Austen
 * Asia Argento as Agent Althea Rice
 * Henry Cavill as Agent Walter Jale
 * Kaya Scodelario as Jo
 * Ed Westwick as Agent Dave Stewart
 * Karen Gillan as Agent Olivia Phillips
 * Brian Austin Green as John Corben
 * Elisha Cuthbert as Lily
 * B.J. Britt as Abraham Twint
 * Henry Ian Cusick as Joel Peters
 * Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Sasha Bordeaux
 * Tom Cruise as John Peril/Omnipotent

Box office
Agents of A.R.G.U.S. - Part 2 earned $423.9 million in North America, as well as $407.4 million internationally for a worldwide total of $830.3 million.

Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 85% approval rating with an average rating of 7.8/10 based on 268 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Agents of A.R.G.U.S. - Part 2 is sure to please comic book fans, but the strong ensemble and brisk pacing help to make this better-than-average superhero film accessible to non-fanboys as well." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 74 out of 100 based on 38 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."