It seems like only yesterday that Avengers: Endgame released in theatres across the world, raking in viewers and smashing the box office record previously held by Avatar. Still, the movie is now available to buy digitally, meaning fans are able to enjoy the sight of Iron Man, Captain America locking horns with Thanos from the comfort of their own homes.
Since Endgame’s release, many people have opened up on things from the movie - as well as things that ended up on the drawing room floor. Kevin Feige, the Russo Brothers and members of the cast have all relished talking about arguably the biggest movie in history, now they’re free from the burden of secrecy. With that in mind, here are 10 tidbits of information we’ve been given since the film came out.
Captain America Nearly Lost His Head
Captain America plays a key role in Endgame. He’s central to the team and their plot to go back in time, the talisman on the battlefield when they fight Thanos and the one who helps normal members of the public come to terms with the losses experienced during last year’s Avengers: Infinity War. He survives the movie, but, recently, it was revealed that he nearly lost his head during early drafts.
Director Joe Russo recently stated, “we had most of the script working except for the third act, because Anthony and I were clinging to this concept that we wanted Thanos to walk up to the Avengers and throw Captain America’s head on the ground.” Yikes. Thankfully they opted against that decision - because we think we cried enough.
Captain America Was Always Worthy
Captain America is also central to a scene from the movie that had audiences in theatres across the world screaming in jubilation and excitement. We are, of course, referring to when he wields the power of Mjolnir, lifting Thor’s old hammer and engaging Thanos in combat just as it looks as if the God of Thunder is about to breath his last breath.
We’d seen Cap nearly lift the hammer in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. So, inevitably, the fact he was able to do it led to theories aplenty. Was it because he had finally told Tony Stark the truth about the death of his parents? Or was he always worthy? Well, Kevin Feige announced it was the latter, saying, "we think he was always worthy and just being polite.” That’s our Steve Rogers all right...
We Nearly Had Thor Vs Thor
There’s a scene in Endgame where, in 2012, Captain America of the future comes across Captain America of the present. Believing the future Cap to be Loki up to his usual mischievous tricks, Steve Rogers wastes no time in fighting his past self. However, the scene nearly didn’t happen. That’s because we could have had an almighty showdown involving two Thors instead.
Director Joe Russo said, “we did have a sequence where they finally confront each other in Asgard.” Then, Anthony Russo added, “I can’t remember why we moved it off. I think it got overly complicated and we liked Cap vs Cap better.”
"Professor Hulk" Nearly Debuted Sooner
It’s no understatement to say the Hulk we got in Endgame was drastically different to anything else we’d seen before. Prior to the release of the movie, Bruce Banner had been having problems with his alter ego: firstly staying stuck as the green, mean, fighting machine for two years, and then his Hulk side refusing to come out during the events of Avengers: Infinity War.
As a means of rectifying this, Banner finds a way to combine both sides of his personality, thus becoming Smart Hulk. But screenwriter Steve McFeely has since revealed this transformation nearly happened a whole year earlier, saying: “The whole arc of the story was Banner and Hulk were not getting along. Hulk wouldn’t come out to help him. And at his hour of greatest need [in Wakanda], they make some sort of compromise and Smart Hulk rips out of [Iron Man] armour and beats the crap out of Cull Obsidian and destroys him.”
Only Hulk And Iron Man Can Snap
Before Endgame came out, many fans were theorising about which hero would be the one to snap everybody who died during Infinity War back to life. We got our answer: two of them. Hulk and Iron Man both performed the snap, the former to bring everybody back and the latter to wipe out Thanos and his army once and for all. Why was this the case? Well, Joe Russo explained way back in May.
“Only Hulk was strong enough to do the snap without dying,” he said. “We are still not sure whether Captain Marvel can also withstand all the power of the Infinity Stones at once. The reason we chose to let Iron Man do it in the end was because he was the closest one to Thanos at the time.” Oh, and speaking of snaps...
Tony’s Snap Cannot Be Undone
With time travel now an official thing in the MCU, fans have been finding ways to convince themselves that Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark will come back one day. After all, when you’ve got a time machine, anything is possible, right? Well, sadly not. Again, director Joe Russo opened up on the character and revealed that his snap, sadly, cannot be undone - meaning out beloved hero is well and truly gone.
“It’s because even if you save Iron Man, it will still not change the fact that Thanos will eventually win the war,” he said. “Among the 14 million possibilities that Doctor Strange has seen, Iron Man’s sacrifice is a must for that one win scenario.” *Sobs*
Thanos Was Nearly On Trial
Doctor Strange is capable of magic, something Tony Stark certainly liked to mock him for. But co-writer Christopher Markus recently revealed that he nearly used his powers to put Thanos on trial within his mind, saying: “We were pretty far down the road on very concrete things, and he wanted to make sure we didn’t lose the physchedelic aspect of the Starlinverse where people travel inside their own eyeballs and things like that.
“So we stuck the Living Tribunal in the movie who, as you may know, is a gigantic guy with four faces on one head that rotates and passes judgement on you, as you do... as Thanos and Doctor Strange came to blows, Doctor Strange blew Thanos’ mind and sent him through the mindscape.”
How Thanos Got His Army To 2023
One of the many plot points that prompted debate was how Thanos was able to transport his entire army to the year 2023, despite Nebula having precious few Pym Particles on her possession at the time of her capture. The Avengers were running so low on the little droplets Captain America and Tony Stark risked it all to acquire them - so, how was Thanos able to get his entire army across? Well, once again, Joe Russo has opened up on his decision.
“There is a guy called Maw in his army, he was a great wizard,” said Russo.“Thanos himself was a brilliant genius as well. Those two easily reverse engineered and mass produced Pym Particles.” Maw was crucial to Thanos' schemes but died in Avengers: Infinity War, following some quick, tactical thinking from Peter Parker and Doctor Strange.
Captain America Does Meet Red Skull Again
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Captain America sets off to return all the Infinity Stones to various points in time. That, of course, meant he had to come across Red Skull again, the adversary he defeated during 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. But, according to Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, the exact details of the reunion remain a mystery. It did happen, though.
Joe said: “He would have to encounter Red Skull. Nobody knows what the rules are when you return the Soul Stone.” Brother Anthony then quipped: “Knowing Red Skull, he probably has a ‘no money back’ policy.”
Iron Man Nearly Didn’t Say That Iconic Line
"I am Iron Man" are the words spoken by Tony Stark at both ends of his journey. He first says them at the end of the very first MCU movie, when he announces to a room full of journalists that he was indeed the superhero they’d seen flying around donning red and gold armour. The second time he says it is when he snaps his fingers to defeat Thanos - sacrificing himself in the process. However, he nearly didn’t say the line at all.
The brothers said: “We just couldn’t, we tried a million different last lines... our editor Jeff Ford, who’s been with us all four movies and is an amazing storyteller, said ‘Why don’t we just go full circle with it and say I am Iron Man.’ And we’re like ‘Get the cameras! We have to shoot this tomorrow.”