Like so many other moviegoers, I spent Friday night watching “Avengers: Age Of Ultron,” a film packed with awesomeness, burning questions and plenty of surprising secrets, but the biggest shocker came before the blockbuster film even began.

That’s because director Joss Whedon decided to randomly surprise the packed house at The Grove’s Pacific Theatres in Los Angeles, where I happened to be on Friday night (May 1).

“I’m just really grateful you guys are here,” Whedon told the audience at the 9:50 p.m. showing. “This is the first night. That means you are not only seeing this movie before anybody else; it means that you are morally better than they are.

“When you talk about the film, whether you like it, whether you don’t, just remember, you have the high ground,” he added. "You’re better people. You came on day one. You can’t know how much that means to me.”

But this didn’t just happen during my viewing; Whedon actually made a day of surprising crowds at different theaters around L.A.

After the film ended, I remembered what Whedon said when the crowd applauded him earlier. “I hope you feel the same way two and a half hours from now,” he said. Well, based on the crowd's cheers when the credits rolled, Whedon had nothing to fear.