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Marvel’s ‘Avengers:’ A superhero primer

Marvel reports staggering $200M opening weekend to top the Harry Potter finale, “Deathly Hallows, Part 2,” the previous record holder.

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 Iron Man/Tony Stark

In the comics, the founding Avenger and billionaire Cold War industrialist (played by quick-quipping Robert Downey Jr.) built his ever-upgraded armor (palm repulsor beams!) to escape warlord Wong-Chu. He battles both supervillains and personal demons. Lesser-known fact: Stark was once U.S. secretary of defense. (Iron Man's global gross so far: $1.2 billion over two films.)

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures /

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I-5 bridge collapse in Washington state dumps vehicles, passengers into river

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Flexing their muscles

Dozens of bodybuilders came out to Silver Spring to compete in the 2013 Musclemania Capital Tournament of Champions.

A police forensics officer investigates a crime scene where one man was killed in Woolwich, southeast London May 22, 2013. British Prime Minister David Cameron has called a meeting of his government's emergency Cobra security committee after the killing of a man in south London, his office said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

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Assessing tornado damage in Oklahoma

Amid great destruction, residents of the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore begin to assess the severity of the twister that hit Monday.

WASHINGTON DC: MAY 22 Contestant Travis Rumans, 31 dances with his beloved glow sticks for talent at Penn Social in Washington, DC on May 22, 2013. The contestants help raise over $15,000 for the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The Mr. DC pageant is a fundraising event to benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The qualifications for the Mr. District of Columbia finalists is that they must live, work and attend school in the District of Columbia between the ages of 21-30 who are unmarried, intelligent, and dapper in a suit. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

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Carmen Electra, Barbara Eden, Sharon Stone, Goldie Hawn, Jaden Smith and more.

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Animal views

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