Avengers: End Game Is The Perfect Title For Avengers 4

Marvel is yet to officially announce the title of Avengers 4, but fans are increasingly becoming convinced that the film is called Avengers: End Game. In theory, Marvel is keeping the title quiet because it's a spoiler of some kind, and they're not ready to reveal it just yet. The studio's hope is that attention won't be focused on next year's Avengers film, but instead on the next two movies to be released, Ant-Man & the Wasp and Captain Marvel. The approach doesn't seem to have been successful, with Kevin Feige admitting it's backfired. There's far more hype around that mysterious title than Marvel expected. "It's gotten entirely out of hand," Feige noted, "and now will have no chance to living up to any expectations of what it's gonna be."

Back in April, we suggested what we believed to be a cool theory: that the film could bear the title Avengers: Endgame. It was a proposal lifted straight from key dialogue in Avengers: Infinity War, with Doctor Strange telling Tony Stark, "We're in the endgame now." That single line of dialogue links to Doctor Strange's mysterious decision to give Thanos the Time Stone, which appeared to be key to setting up the one timeline where Strange foresaw an ultimate victory against the Mad Titan. Unfortunately, this theory was debunked by Anthony Russo, who was asked whether or not the title of Avengers 4 was spoken in Avengers: Infinity War. "No," he answered, before adding, "It’s certainly grounded in the narrative that we have been following throughout the MCU – very well grounded…"

But new life was given to this theory over the weekend, when Avengers 4 cinematographer Trent Opaloch updated the resume on his personal website. He added a reference to Avengers: End Game, and naturally the Internet went wild with excitement. Although Opaloch swiftly removed this reference from his website, to many it's been viewed as confirmation that the Russos were lying and Avengers: End Game really is the title. Indeed, it's important to note that Marvel insiders like the Russos aren't above employing a little misdirection when speaking to the public. In fact, they're still attempting to persuade interviewers that the deaths at the end of Avengers: Infinity War will stick, even as filming begins on Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is set after Avengers 4.

So, in spite of the Russos' comments, Avengers: End Game is indeed a possible title. Here's why we think it would be the perfect choice.

This Page: The Key Meaning of Avengers: End Game
Page 2: Hidden Meanings of the Avengers: End Game Title

End Game Gives The Heroes A Purpose Going Into Avengers 4

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange in Avengers Infinity War

The first key point is that this Avengers 4 title would indeed serve as quite a major spoiler. It confirms that all is indeed proceeding as Doctor Strange had planned. In Avengers: Infinity War, Strange used the Time Stone to peer into over 14 million different futures, and identified the only one that would allow the heroes to triumph. Shortly after, viewers were shocked to see Strange hand over the Time Stone to Thanos, ultimately allowing the Mad Titan the chance to erase half the life in the universe with a snap of his fingers. Crucially, though, even as Doctor Strange crumbled to dust, the sorcerer told Tony that there was no other way. The clear implication was that the "snap" was always going to happen, but that Strange had ensured it could be undone or averted.

The title Avengers: End Game would clearly tie the movie's entire plot into Strange's visions. It would confirm that everything was proceeding as the Master of the Mystic Arts had foreseen, that he had orchestrated events so as to give the surviving Avengers a shot at defeating Thanos. It's true the title doesn't give away anything about the actual means by which Thanos's actions will be put right - perhaps through time-travel in some way - but that's simply not important. All that matters is that this title tells viewers that there is hope.

Page 2 of 2: Other Meanings of the Avengers: End Game Title

Iron Man, Hulk, Cap, Thor, and Black Widow corner Loki with Hawkeye pointing his arrow in The Avengers

End Game Means The End Of The MCU As We Know It

Avengers 4 is set to serve as the swansong for the first iteration of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, bringing an end to a story that's been told over the course of a decade. It's no coincidence that the cliffhanger ending of Avengers: Infinity War stripped the Avengers down to their original members, with just a couple of adds-ons in the form of Nebula and Rocket Raccoon. With a number of key contracts coming to an end, this films is intended to be the last, greatest act of heroism from those original Avengers. If they can triumph against Thanos, they will successfully save half the life in the universe. But there'll be a significant cost to this victory.

That gives a double meaning to the potential title Avengers: End Game. This is the "endgame" for the original Avengers, their last and greatest act of heroism. After this, Kevin Feige has teased that we'll be getting "the next incarnation of the MCU," whatever that may mean. Avengers: End Game becomes almost poetically appropriate as a title.

End Game Suggests The MCU Will Be Moving Away from the Comics

The Russo brothers have already indicated that the title of Avengers 4 probably isn't going to be lifted from the comics. They've insisted that it's actually an original story, one with no basis in the source material, and as such we're in uncharted territory. A title like Avengers: End Game would help signify that as there's never been a comic book story bearing that title.

Until now, comic book readers have become accustomed to the MCU will adapt stories from the original comics. While it's been true the movies have tended to take inspiration from the comics, it's always been a little looser than most fans seem to have realized. Even when the movies have actually lifted a title straight from the comics, the themes have been rendered in a very different way. Compare Avengers: Age of Ultron with the "Age of Ultron" event from the comics, for example; that actually saw Ultron triumph in battle against the Avengers, who then used time-travel in order to defeat him. Captain America: Civil War used the Super Human Registration Act as the backdrop to the next Winter Soldier story, in marked contrast to the original "Civil War" comic. And the most egregious example is undoubtedly last year's Thor: Ragnarok, which essentially ditched all semblance of the "Ragnarok" plot from the comics.

The end of Phase 3 will see the MCU come to a place where it can never again be "like the comics". Let's say Iron Man and Captain America both depart after Avengers 4; that means countless comic book plots and team-ups can never happen on the big screen. The comics tend to involve a constant reset to the status quo, but Avengers 4 will mark the point where the movies go beyond that, becoming something new, fresh and original. It would be so appropriate for Marvel to mark that moment by giving Avengers 4 a title that has absolutely no comic book history at all.

It's too soon to say for certain whether or not the title of Avengers 4 really is Avengers: End Game. But one thing's for sure; this title would make a lot of sense.