Original Avengers screenwriter Zak Penn, who previously expressed disappointment that Joss Whedon tossed out his draft and started from scratch, now concedes the director's script is better than the one he started working on six years ago.

"I think it turned out better. I think he did a fantastic job," Penn tells CraveOnline. "I mean, look, I think that it’s very similar in terms of what we imagined in our head, what the movie would be like and what characters would be in it. Kevin Feige was working on it all the way through so he’s the person to ask the most. He’d tell you this is what we hoped the movie would be, but most of the time you hope the movie’s going to be this good and it turns out very crappy, so it’s really a relief when you hope the movie’s going to turn out well and it’s a great movie."

Penn, who shares a "story by" credit with Whedon on The Avengers, also co-wrote X-Men: The Last Stand and was famously replaced by star Edward Norton as writer of The Incredible Hulk.

When GQ asked Whedon about The Avengers script shortly before the release of Marvel's billion-dollar blockbuster, the director acknowledged, "There was a script. There just wasn't a script I was going to film a word of." Reached for comment, Penn responded, ""We could have collaborated more, but that was not his choice. He wanted to do it his way, and I respect that. I mean, it's not like on the Hulk, where I got replaced by the lead actor. That was an unusual one. This was more normal."