The title of Avengers 4 is officially Avengers: Endgame and it's the best choice Marvel Studios could have made. In recent months, anticipation for what the fourth Avengers film would be called was nearly as rampant as demand for actual footage. Many fans expected to learn the title of Avengers 4 at the conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War. Of course, that didn't happen, and directors Joe and Anthony Russo immediately began fueling speculation, suggesting on Twitter that the title delay "should" scare fans. Along with the details about what would happen in Avengers 4, Marvel held the title under top secret lock and key.

Whenever pressed during their numerous appearances hyping Infinity War, the Russos played coy, noting that revealing the title would give away key points about the plot. In October, Mark Ruffalo caused a kerfluffle when he 'accidentally' said the Avengers 4 title during The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which he said was The Last Avenger. This didn't turn out to be the title but Ruffalo had fun trolling the fans while the Russos fake "fired" him. Numerous fan theories sprang up about Avengers 4's title and Avengers: Endgame was one of the earliest. For his part, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige admitted that choosing not to reveal the title "sort of backfired" and created the rampant speculation that he feared the actual title reveal couldn't live up to.

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There may have been some uncertainty at Disney and Marvel about the final choice for the title. Marvel scooper DanielRPK said on Twitter that the company went back and forth between three title options: Annihilation, Endgame, and Infinity Gauntlet. Regardless, it is now Avengers 4's official title - and it was the best choice.

Why Endgame Is The Best Title For Avengers 4

Thanos armor in Avengers Endgame

Avengers: Endgame is a perfect title because it pulls directly from Infinity War, which now serves as an ideal set up for this sequel. Doctor Strange said the title of the next film to Tony Stark right after surrendering the Time Stone to Thanos: "We're in the endgame, now." The Master of the Mystic Arts had peered into the future and saw 14,000,605 possible outcomes but there was only one where the Avengers beat Thanos. As the sorcerer faded into dust he told Stark, "Tony, there was no other way."

Now, Doctor Strange declaring the next phase of the story "the endgame" indicates Strange does indeed have a plan in play. It posits that even though Thanos' finger snap ended half of all life in the universe - an act now referred to as "The Decimation" - the Avengers have moved into the next phase of the one possible future Strange saw where Earth's Mightiest Heroes win in the end. And although the word "endgame" sounds ominous, in the context of what Doctor Strange saw, it shifts the meaning of the title into one that fuels hope the Avengers will triumph and save the universe.

Endgame also has a poetic double meaning: First, it carries the symbolism that Avengers 4 will be the final and greatest heroic act of the original incarnation of the superteam. Secondly, Endgame nicely alludes to the idea that Avengers 4 will also conclude the cycle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that began with 2008's Iron Man, while still opening the door to the next Phase of the MCU. Without being heavy-handed about it, the title helps prepare fans to say farewell to some of the core heroes of the MCU, like Chris Evans' Captain America. There's also a fanciful element to the word "Endgame" that plays into how the MCU has become one of the most beloved, epic fantasy stories of our time.

Related: Everything We Know About Avengers 4's Reshoots

Marvel may have teased fans a bit too much about what the title would be, but Avengers: Endgame delivers, and hopefully the film itself will exceed all expectations.

More: Avengers 4: Every Update You Need To Know

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