Avengers: Endgame delivered a superhero adventure like no other. The movie had an unprecedented task of wrapping up the story of 21 interconnected movies in the past 11 years. Even though it was a huge responsibility then, Endgame exceeded expectations both critically and financially . A year removed from the premiere of the film, fans have continued to commemorate the movie’s iconic moments and its massive impact . It was not only them that commemorated the one-year anniversary of the film’s release as Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo recently looked back on their emotional experience of seeing the film in a public theater.
Recently, fans assembled virtually to experience Avengers: Infinity War through Comicbook’s Quarantine Watch Party. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely joined fans across the globe, and they revealed numerous bits of information about the Marvel epic. The fun didn’t stop there as the screenwriting duo returned for another round of a Quarantine Watch Party for Endgame . Much to the delight of the fans, the Russo Brothers and Emma Fuhrmann, who played the older version of Cassie Lang in the film, joined them this time. As expected, the guests revealed tons of new information all throughout the Watch Party.
Here is a compilation of the interesting reveals and details from the Russo brothers, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely from the Quarantine Watch Party of Avengers: Endgame .
Alternate takes on who got dusted
Endgame would've been a completely different film if Wanda wasn't dusted due to the snap. There would be a whole bunch of first-time interactions between characters such as the one revealed by Markus. One would hope that Rocket gets to meet Wanda sometime in the future.
Tony's video message
Tony Stark's recorded messages were gut-wrenching for fans. It's no wonder why those scenes anchored the film's script.
Captain Marvel's limited role
McFeely revealed that new characters, such as Captain Marvel, had to take a step back in Endgame to give way to the six original Avengers. The film successfully delivered on that front since the original Avengers were given iconic moments throughout the film.
Rocket tracked the Benatar
McFeely revealed Rocket helped track the Benatar, and this led Captain Marvel to save Tony Stark and Nebula.
Scenes with Banner had to be reshot
As fans now know, Smart Hulk was supposed to be introduced at the tail end of Infinity War . Since the plans for the character have changed since then, it was imperative for the early scenes that were originally with Smart Hulk to be replaced with Bruce Banner instead.
Nick Fury's pager
Markus addressed the lingering question among fans regarding what happened to Nick Fury's pager. One would imagine that it was returned to Fury at some point after Stark's funeral.
The plan for Captain Marvel was to debut in Endgame, not Infinity War
It was a wise decision on the screenwriters' end to hold off the debut of Captain Marvel in Infinity War . If she appeared during that film, her MCU debut in her own solo flick would have been spoiled.
Who gets to read the script?
It appears that there was a very limited amount of people that had the privilege of reading several iterations of the scripts for Infinity War and Endgame .
The hardest scene to write
Time travel is a complicated concept. Markus and McFeely seemed to have had a hard time figuring out several sequences involving such concepts in the movie.
Scott Lang didn't age in the Quantum Realm
McFeely revealed that Paul Rudd's Scott Lang didn't age while trapped inside the Quantum Realm. Time really works differently inside of it and one has to wonder what the future plans will be for that particular concept moving forward.
Tony's lake house trivia
If this wasn't pointed out by the Russo Brothers, fans would not have noticed this pretty interesting detail. As peaceful as Tony's lake house is, fans wouldn't assume that the setting for one of the biggest action scenes in the MCU is not far from it.
Morgan's name explained
Markus revealed that he and McFeely seemed to enjoy repurposing some Marvel Comics lore into the movies, and Morgan's name was included in that list.
Effects of the snap to certain Avengers
It was without question that the snap had different effects on the Avengers, and Tony took it as an opportunity to start a family. Stark lived an idyllic life for five years until his heroic sacrifice.
Consultation with physicists regarding time travel
Since time travel is a complicated concept, it was necessary for the writers to consult experts while in production.
The five-year gap was always the plan
McFeely revealed that the five-year gap made sense story-wise since the actors would still look similar by then.
Cassie is not living alone
McFeely revealed that Cassie was not living alone when Scott visited her. One would assume that either her mom or stepdad survived the snap.
Norway is a recurring MCU setting
Norway has been a usual MCU setting. Aside from Endgame , the country has been featured in several MCU films such as Captain America: The First Avenger , Thor , and Thor: Ragnarok .
Thor peeing in New Asgard
When the fans caught up with Thor during Endgame , he was in a depressed state. The Russo brothers revealed that an early draft of the script saw a version of Thor peeing in New Asgard to establish his current state. It's a good thing that Hulk and Rocket helped him back on his feet to help him overcome his depression and anxiety.
The opening of the Time Heist was different in the first draft
An early version of the script didn't originally feature going back to New York. Fortunately, the writers realized it was a mistake and they quickly changed it.
Planning of the Time Heist
It is entertaining when you see your favorite heroes are taking a step back and formulating a plan instead of fighting. This seemed to be the case for Markus and McFeely since they found such enjoyment in writing scenes for the Avengers during the planning phase before the Time Heist.
An 'early' start for the Time Heist
When one is traveling through time, the present time really doesn't matter. The Avengers interestingly started their time heist at dawn.
Alternate scene of Tony visiting Asgard instead of New York
It would be fun to see Tony visit Asgard and discover a whole new world. However, many fans would agree that the team-up with Captain America and the others was the best way to go for the character.
Natasha and Clint should've teleported in Vormir
Many fans would have preferred for Natasha and Clint to use the Benatar as transportation instead of teleporting straight into Vormir. The scene in the movie gave them more time to spend with each other, even remembering their time at Budapest. For those unaware, McFeely was referring to an alternate death scene of Natasha in Vormir where she and Clint were being chased off by Thanos and his forces.
Morag was still underwater in one draft of the script
The Morag bit with Nebula and War Machine furing the Time Heist would've been entirely different if the planet was still underwater by the time Nebula and Rhodey arrived.
The elevator scene in Endgame was McFeely's favorite
Many fans would agree that this callback to Captain America: The Winter Soldier is included in their list of favorites as well.
America's Ass
A year ago, this particular line from Endgame produced a lot of memes, much to the delight of fans. Markus revealed that there was no such backstory about it and it was based on pure admiration.
Banner would've seen the Hulk in the Soul Stone
Many fans have speculated on who Banner saw in the Soul World after he snapped using the Stark Gauntlet. Markus revealed that Banner would've seen Hulk but it appears that they chose not to shoot the scene.
A meeting between Captain America and Red Skull didn't make sense
Many fans have been clamoring for a meeting between Steve Rogers and the Red Skull. Even if the writers originally intended to do so, they eventually scrapped the idea since it didn't make sense in the story that they were trying to tell.
Where did Markus and McFeely write Endgame?
As a writer, it is important to consider one's location. Markus and McFeely seemed to have written the superhero epic in different places and it took them a year doing rewrites.
The retrieval of the Tesseract was always doomed to fail
It was the plan all along for the Avengers to not retrieve the Tesseract in New York. This paved the way for the emotional scenes between Tony and his dad as well as Steve seeing Peggy again in the 1970s.
Loki's escape was a 'juicy way' to upset the heist
The general belief among fans is that Loki's escape was ordered by the Marvel 'parliament' in order to set up his Disney+ show. However, this doesn't seem to be the case as revealed by McFeely.
Nebula didn't know the rules in Vormir
Fans assumed that Nebula knew about the sacrifice for the Soul Stone in Vormir. However, Markus debunked that theory as he revealed that Nebula only knew that Gamora died in Vormir, but not the cause of it.
Namor tease?
During the Avengers team and co. team meeting in the first act of the movie, Okoye mentions that there have been curious underwater tremors in the ocean surrounding Africa. Ever since then, MCU fans have theorized that these earthquakes were a product of the sub-mariner himself, Namor. Fans have been eagerly anticipating the debut of Namor in the MCU and this potential tease might be the closest confirmation that they can get.
All scenes of Peter Quill dancing in Morag are not repurposed
This was an amazing reveal since it proves that Chris Pratt remembered all of his dance moves in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.1 .
Returning the Aether was awkward
Fans have been longing to find out how Captain America returned the Infinity Stones to their respective timeline. It seemed that there was one awkward encounter when it came to returning the Aether to Jane in Asgard.
Josh Brolin enjoyed playing Thanos in a mo-cap suit
As intimidating as Thanos was during Infinity War and Endgame, Brolin seemed to enjoy his time as the Mad Titan behind the scenes.
The writers were not a fan of spoilers
After a fan asked if the writers were weary about the movie being spoiled by marketing, co-writer Markus answered with a big yes. This was a testament on how the marketing team of Disney handled the brilliant marketing scheme of the film. The trailer didn't focus on the plot but rather on the emotional beats of the cliffhanger ending of the previous film, which was effective.
Tony didn't meet Howard in the first draft
That would be disappointing if the writers decided to move forward with it. Luckily, they didn't.
Rocket's genitals in the first draft
Was it or was it not a good thing that they didn't move forward with this?
Captain America as the Soul Stone?!
The entire landscape of Infinity War and Endgame would've changed if it was revealed that Captain America himself was the Soul Stone. This would have made Steve Rogers a walking MacGuffin in a similar way to Vision was with the Mind Stone in his head, which is likely one of the reasons why the filmmakers opted against the concept.
Frank Castle tease?
While it's clear that the Russos were joking with this "reveal," who wouldn't be up for a Punisher movie directed by the Russo brothers?
Nebula is the bridge between old Thanos and the Avengers
Nebula's arc dramatically evolved ever since Vol.1 and it was a joy for many fans to see her heroic self in Endgame . Unfortunately, she became the unintentional bridge to the old Thanos.
Rhodes destroying Thor (playfully)
Many fans would love to see Rhodey throw more quips to Thor after that "Cheese Whiz" line before the Hulk's snap. Bring out the deleted scene reel!
Nebula almost wielded the Gauntlet
Aside from the Hulk, Nebula was another prime candidate to wield the gauntlet since she already did so in the comics.
Bruce almost met Natasha in the Soul World
Thought about it. Never shot it. #AvengersAssemble #QuarantineWatchParty -SM https://t.co/2usOVPIPyH
While this was already theorized by many fans, McFeely revealed that the filmmakers only thought about the concept but never ended up shooting the scene where Bruce meets a now-deceased Natasha in the Soul World.
Scott's assist to Rhodey
Markus provided an answer to the long-time question of fans on how Rhodey retrieved his new armor before the final battle.
Chris Evans was psyched about wielding Mjolnir
Chris Evans knew over a year before filming that he would pick up Mjolnir and was clearly thrilled with the idea. Based on the reactions during opening night, fans were on board with it too.
Cap in Age of Ultron was not yet worthy
Fans have long theorized that Steve was worthy during Age of Ultron when he surprisingly nudges Mjolnir during the house-party scene. However, Markus revealed that Cap wasn't fully worthy during the scene since Steve had not yet revealed the truth to Tony about the murder of his parents as he does in Civil War.
Gamora is curious about the "tree" (aka Groot)
The younger version of Gamora wasn't able to experience being a Guardian so she didn't realize that the "tree" Nebula was referring to was good ol' Groot. Vol. 3 will look to address the team's search for Gamora and one would hope that all of her questions will be answered by then.
Tony and Steve's ending
It appears that the ending for Tony Stark and Captain America was pretty much set in stone ever since the first draft of the script.
Natasha's funeral
Fans were disappointed that Natasha was not given a proper funeral in Endgame , but this doesn't mean that the writers didn't try. McFeely revealed that they could never land on one that felt good enough for them. One would hope that something is in store in Black Widow to honor the fallen hero.
You can rest now, Tony
This line was emotionally gut-wrenching for many fans.
Sam's idealism
Co-writer Chistopher Markus revealed that they did briefly consider making Bucky the MCU's next Captain America, which would've taken his character in a whole new direction in the future. However, Sam Wilson's idealism made him the top choice to take up the mantle of the star-spangled hero.
No CGI in Tony's Funeral
The funeral scene was a well-attended affair since every MCU hero AND actor was present. All the coordination and planning by producers and crew to make such a star-studded scene possible deserves a round of applause.
Cap and Peggy
Steve reuniting with Peggy was an emotional scene. It's no wonder why it was the favorite shot of the Russo Brothers in the film.
Old Man Steve in Peggy's funeral?
There was a running theory among fans that Old Man Steve was in Peggy's funeral in Civil War . Even though Markus didn't confirm it, he was happy with this speculation.
Avengers: Endgame will forever be in the record books as the highest-grossing film in the worldwide box office. The movie’s success of being a pop-culture phenomenon was not just attributed to the box-office records and the iconic moments, but it promoted a sense of community among fans making it hard to replicate for years to come. While the opening of movie theaters still has no return date in sight, these watch parties can continue to serve as a way for fans to escape their worries due to the recent pandemic.