Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo has confirmed that Steve Rogers did indeed travel between realities to conclude his storyline. Avengers: Endgame wrapped up not only the Infinity Stone plot, but also the stories of several characters, including original Avengers Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Captain America (Chris Evans). The film was an enormous success, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time.

Despite that success, fans have argued over some of the finer points of Avengers: Endgame, like Steve Rogers’s ambiguous ending. In the movie, Steve volunteers to bring the Infinity Stones to their rightful places in the timeline, and in the process, opts to remain in the past and live out the rest of his life with his first love, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). The logistics of this move have confused Avengers fans since the film’s release, and even the film’s creators have disagreed on what it means. Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely believe that Steve returned to his own past; but Endgame’s directors, the Russo brothers, have stated that Steve hopped to a branch reality to be with Peggy before jumping back to the original timeline to bequeath his shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie).

Related: Avengers: Endgame Directors' Explanation Of Steve Rogers’ Ending Makes It Worse

Despite confusion and potential plot holes, it seems that the Russos are sticking to their story. In an interview on the Lights Camera Barstool podcast (via Cinemablend), Joe Russo confirmed once again that Steve had traveled to a branch reality. Joe Russo's full comment can be read below:

One thing that's clear that Anthony and I have discussed, I don't know that we've discussed this publicly at all, Cap would have had to have traveled back to the main timeline. That's something that, yes, he would have been in a branch reality, but he would have to travel back to the main timeline to give that shield to Sam Wilson.

In our internal logic that we defined in the room, that was the choice that we made. Based on everything that happened, he would have been in a branch reality and then had to have shifted over to this, so jumped from one to the other and handed the shield off.

Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter reunited in Avengers Endgame

It’s unclear what "room" Russo is referring to since this explanation still doesn’t match the writers' understanding of Captain America’s ending. The inconsistencies within this Avengers: Endgame explanation, particularly regarding Old Steve’s return to the main reality, are likely to continue to bother fans unless their questions are answered in a future MCU project. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for its meticulously plotted intertwining stories, careful easter eggs, and clear internal logic (at least, as clear as superhero logic can get). For the conclusion of a major, beloved character’s storyline in its biggest film yet to be so foggy is not only a letdown for fans, but a drop in quality for Marvel as a studio.

There’s still hope that the Avengers: Endgame timeline issues could be cleared up. Despite claiming to be done with the character, Evans is in talks for one or more upcoming MCU projects. A return as Steve Rogers would be the perfect way to put the Endgame inconsistencies to bed. However, Evans’ presence isn’t totally necessary to clarify the plot; some expository lines in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier would be equally effective. Either way, hopefully, Marvel will address the lingering Avengers: Endgame questions in a future project.

Next: Captain America's MCU Return Can Show His Hidden Endgame Story

Source: Lights Camera Barstool (via CinemaBlend)

Key Release Dates