In "The Hulk" Tony Stark says he's putting together a group. I assumed he meant the Avenger group. In this trailer he talks about not qualifying. Did I miss a chapter somewhere?
Yes! i kinda wondered that tooo
but then i read in one of RDJ's interview about Avengers
were it seems they have found this loop hole
in this interview HE personally said so Himself:
"I’m still trying to, without moving backwards, remember the character that [Iron Man and Iron Man 2 director] Jon Favreau and I created, and be true to that,” Downey tells EW.
It’s also important to be true to the original Marvel Comics history, but Downey acknowledges that they’ve had to streamline their vision over the years as the possibility of this movie loomed.
“Avengers has always been this kind of hovering [thing]. Is it really possible? I just think that it was an incredibly ambitious notion, and looking back at Marvel and their fledgling years, they always had a vision of this … although not entirely accurately.”
Downey laughs: “In one teaser I say, ‘I’m putting a team together,’ and in the other one I’m like, ‘What do you mean I can’t join the team?’ But aside from that, it kind of really tracks through.”