If you don’t agree by now that Avengers: Endgame has redefined what’s possible within a filmmaking universe, then you’re obviously incapable of admitting you’re wrong. While ending arguably one of the biggest story arcs ever to be undertaken in a franchise, Endgame has laid waste to box office records all over the world.
And when something of this magnitude comes about - especially when it’s a direct sequel to another film of incredible scale - it’s going to invite a lot of close scrutiny from moviegoers, critics and fans alike. So with that in mind, we wanted to even out some of the praise by poking a few plot holes in Endgame but couldn't also resist listing a few of the most awesome moments. Here are five things that may constitute as plot holes and five of the most awesome moments in Avengers: Endgame:
Plot Hole: Is the rat included in Dr. Strange’s 14 million outcomes?
Not long before Dr. Strange tells Tony Stark that they’re now ‘in the endgame’ in Infinity War (thus spoiling the name for the next Avengers movie for everyone), he says that he’s watched 14,000,605 possible outcomes of their fight with Thanos. And out of those, there’s only one that sees the Avengers defeat the mad Titan.
With that in mind, fast-forward to Avengers: Endgame where poor old Scott Lang has been trapped in the quantum realm for five years. Ant-Man is only released when a rat accidentally flips the right switch in his van which essentially kicks off the plan to use the quantum realm to go back in time. Just how many outcomes did Dr. Strange watch until the rat got the right button? And shouldn't that little sewer dweller should be praised as the savior of half of the universe.
Awesome: Passing of the mantle
This film was about endings for many of our favorite MCU characters but it also stood as a beginning for many others. One of those is Sam Wilson - AKA Falcon, also AKA Captain America. Falcon’s been a solid player in the MCU since his first outing in The Winter Soldier and a great backup to Steve Rogers, sticking by his side even when he became a fugitive in Civil War. So Steve’s handing off of the Vibranium shield at the end of Endgame is a really awesome future-gazing moment. It also fits in with comic book lore where Falcon became Captain America in 2014.
What is interesting though is that in the comics, he completely gave up the mantle of Falcon. So will the title of Disney+’s Falcon and The Winter Soldier limited series need to change before it even starts shooting? Captain America and the Winter Soldier does have a nice ring to it.
Plot Hole: Do we just forget that Clint is now a mass murderer?
Yes, it’s great that Clint Barton got his family back and he can now retire to his farm where he’ll star in the upcoming Disney+ Hawkeye series, but are we just all okay with the fact that he’s now a serial killer?
From Rhodey’s explanation of it, Barton’s on a one-man mission to rid the world of anyone who’s so much as dropped a cigarette butt. But as soon as his family is snapped back, no one should be fine with him going home without having to face the music. If he’s going to start teaching his daughter how to become the next Hawkeye, hopefully he skips over the lesson that there are zero consequences to your very illegal actions.
Awesome: 'What are they shooting at?'
While she ultimately was used as a red herring in Disney’s marketing of Endgame, Captain Marvel’s return to earth in the final sequence of the movie makes quite the moment. Just as it looks like Thanos might get the upper hand, Carol appears in a blaze of light, drawing the cannon fire away from the ground attack.
This moment in Endgame showed how important Captain Marvel will be going forward in the MCU. And not only because she’s one of the most powerful heroes on the board but because she can be used in any of the earth-based or intergalactic storylines, both of which we know are being cued up by Marvel.
Plot Hole: Surely there weren't enough Pym Particles?
We hear more than once that there are only enough Pym Particles for everyone on the rescue mission to make one return trip each. But, when Ant-Man joins Iron Man, Cap, and Hulk on their mission to 2012, we see him shrink down more than once, therefore using some of the precious Pym Particles he’s just told us need to be used sparingly.
So, when Ant-Man counted up the particles for everyone to use, was he forgetting that he’d render himself useless without his own stash, or did Markus and McFeely just glaze over that bit in their final draft?
Awesome: 'On your left'
If Steve lifting Mjolnir elicits gasps from cinema-going audiences, then Sam Wilson / Falcon tuning into Cap’s comms to tell him that he’s ‘on his left’ is an invitation for audible cheers.
The sequence dubbed portals, where everyone that previously got dusted turns up to help in the fight against Thanos is the ultimate payoff for everyone who has invested any amount of time in the MCU. And the way the Russo brothers executed this behemoth of a scene is quite impressive. They even managed to get Howard the Duck in there with a massive gun. What’s not to love?
Plot Hole: Is the world ready for a population double the size?
There’s not a lot of exposition that explains the state of the world five years after Thanos’ snap. But from the shots we see, there are abandoned homes and places of work - even a completely disused Citi Field in New York.
But the sheer amount of work it would take to re-ingratiate half of the population would be astronomical. More people would have been born in the five years since the snap but the required resources would have been cut in half. There are 50% fewer people to feed and 50% fewer people to do the work.
Maybe some of Marvel’s plans include a spin-off drama series where we see the trials and tribulations of the population doubling in the blink of an eye. Though there might not be an audience for that.
Awesome: Steve Rogers x Mjolnir
Steve Rogers’ wielding Mjolnir in the final battle against Thanos is Cap-nip for anyone who’s got even the smallest amount of love for Captain America. If someone says that this moment isn’t on their list of favorite Endgame moments, then in the words of Tony Stark: There’s no trust. Liars.
That being said, one question that’s been kicking around is about his worthiness. Either he’s always been worthy enough to wield the power of Thor and was just being polite to the God of thunder - something Endgame’s directors feel is the case - or he became worthy at some point between the house party sequence in Age of Ultron and the final battle in Endgame, which canonically makes a bit more sense.
Plot Hole: Steve should have appeared on the quantum time machine’s platform.
If Banner’s explanation of time travel is to be believed over the sound logic of Back to the Future, every time someone goes back - or forward - in time, they don’t affect the past or future, they instead create a new timeline.
But if that’s true, once Cap’s replaced all the Infinity Stones and heads back to reunite with Peggy, doesn’t that mean that he’s starting a new timeline where they live happily ever after? That or he’s living in a world where there’s two Steve Rogers, he had kids with Peggy Carter and Captain America kissed his own niece.
Either way, there’s an issue. If he’s in a new timeline, as Hulk’s explanation would indicate, in order to come back and give Falcon the shield, Cap would have needed to travel between timelines to get back to Endgame’s present. And if that is the case, why wouldn’t he have appeared on the quantum time travel platform? If he’s a second Steve, he’s bided his time and planned out a way to sneak past Hulk, Falcon and The Winter Soldier to conveniently sit on a bench.
Awesome: 'I am Iron Man'
Obviously, it’s not awesome that the MCU’s guiding light and founding father is dead. But Tony’s nano-tech pickpocketing Thanos, and his own snap that rids the world of the Mad Titan is nothing short of awesome.
The line ‘I am Iron Man’ closed out the first MCU entry back in Iron Man in 2008 and its use to finish Tony Stark’s story arc here is a really powerful moment. So as far as spine-tingling awesome MCU moments goes, this is certainly one of them.