Reflecting on one of Avengers: Endgame's most applause-worthy moments only further highlights the MCU's biggest Multiverse Saga problem. There's no denying that the MCU has struggled to find its footing since Endgame, with some attributing those issues to developmental problems, a lack of narrative direction, uninteresting leading heroes, or a combination of all three. Whatever the cause, fans undeniably aren't as invested in the MCU storyline as they once were, which is a big problem for Marvel Studios, given that Avengers: Doomsday is just one year away.
Circling back over six years, both Infinity War and Endgame were filled with cheer-worthy moments, and not ones driven by nostalgic cameos, but rather satisfying resolutions that fans had been waiting years for. In fact, one of the best even came on the credits rolled on Endgame, with just the music of Alan Silvestri to be heard. Endgame may not have been hiding any dramatic reveals or surprises after the credits, but there was one last applause-worthy moment to be enjoyed with a special tribute to all six of the original Avengers actors.
After the mid-credits rolled through most of the Endgame cast, the six superhero stars of The Avengers were each treated to a special moment as their signature was scrawled onto the screen alongside a dramatic silhouette of their character.
The epic fanfare continued past Downey Jr. for Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner, putting a neat bow on the Infinity Saga and these heroes' MCU tenure so far.
For comparison's sake, the rest of Endgame's massive cast still appeared in the animated credits but without this unique signature treatment. Naturally, this helps single the OG Six out as not just Avengers 4's stars, but also those of the Infinity Saga as a whole, carrying the most major appearances over those 11 years.
Across the Infinity Saga, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans each racked up a whopping 11 appearances. Not only did both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers appear in every Avengers movie, but they also completed their own trilogies and made more minor appearances elsewhere, clearly denoting them as the MCU's leads.
The OG Avengers were visibly the starring heroes for the Infinity Saga's 23 movies, but it's tough to identify such leads for the Multiverse Saga. In fact, once Phase 6 ends, Tom Holland's Spider-Man will be the only hero with two new movies in this saga (No Way Home and Brand New Day), while Daredevil and Loki will each have had multiple seasons on Disney+.
Based on their currently confirmed appearances, Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes and Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova are expected to end the Multiverse Saga with the most live-action roles, with five each across the big and small screen. This matches the Infinity Saga's least-recurring Avenger, Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye.
That said, as Marvel Studios is hiding some major characters for their next Avengers movies, there may be more who edge closer to five-plus appearances.
The MCU Multiverse Saga's Biggest Flaw Was the Infinity Saga's Greatest Strength
While characters such as Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Sam Wilson/Captain America once seemed set to lead the post-Endgame MCU, their presence has been sorely lacking throughout.
This all boils down to the Multiverse Saga's ultimate problem: there are no leads. An Avengers blockbuster needs heroes that fans are not just eager to see again, but also excited to see unite against a common threat that has built over time.
Currently, the MCU has given fans no idea of who will be in the new Avengers team that Sam Wilson is forming, with rumors pointing to a mish-mash of heroes who have barely interacted yet, but will soon take on Multiversal threats.
Endgame's epic signature credits, coupled with the heroic sounds of "Main on End" from Alan Silvestri, drew mass applause from audiences who had built decade-long attachments to these heroes, some of whom had just bid farewell.
If Secret Wars were to similarly end the Multiverse Saga by elevating certain characters in the credits, it's tough to imagine it having the same effect. Even those who have become beloved in this saga, such as Yelena Belova, still have much of their story left to be told, and, for many, their stories are just beginning.
Simply put, there are no six characters that fans have become so much more invested in than others to justify putting them on that pedestal. One could argue that this was even the Infinity Saga's greatest strength, as, while fans got hooked on many other heroes, these six Avengers were at the core of it all to the end.
To some extent, that may be by design, as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told Variety that "Secret Wars is about beginnings" just as much as "[rounding] out stories" that have been introduced since Endgame:
"We’re utilizing that [story] not just to round out the stories we’ve been telling post-‘Endgame,’ just as importantly — and you can look at the at the ‘Secret Wars’ comics for where that takes you — it very, very much sets us up for the future. ‘Endgame,’ literally, was about endings. ‘Secret Wars’ is about beginnings."
As such, Marvel Studios probably won't be reusing that signature trick in Doomsday or Secret Wars, unless it were to pay tribute to the many Marvel Legacy characters who will be returning, likely for the final time.
