[Definite spoilers ahead if you have not yet seen Avengers: Endgame.] Avengers: Endgame finally premiered last week, and fans finally got a conclusion to the Infinity Saga. It was a culmination of 21 and three phases of MCU films. And whether you like the it or not, there was ultimately conclusion for several characters in the movie.
Many of the film’s key plot points leave fans with more questions than answers though. Of course this was not surprising as this was far from the last movie in the MCU. Phase 4 is set to continue with some of our favorite heroes, with movies like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and introduce us to new heroes, like The Eternals. So, Marvel will continue to keep story lines and futures plans close to the hip.
Recently, Joe Russo did an interview with the Chinese-language site QQ, answering questions related to Avengers: Endgame. The interview may not answer all our questions, but it may help clarify some of the more important and immediate ones.
The below Q&A is from that that interview and was translated by a Redditor and posted online. A portion of that interview is posted below.
Iron Man
Q: Why Iron Man has to be the one to do the final snap, couldn’t the people like Thor, Star-Lord or Captain Marvel whom all previously have handled the power of Infinity Stones done it instead?
A: Thor in this movie couldn’t do it, only Hulk was strong enough to do the snap without dying. We are still not sure whether Captain Marvel can also withstand all the power of Infinity Stones at once. The reason we choose to let Iron Man do it in the end was because he was the closest one to Thanos at the time. In all the futures Doctor Strange foresee, Iron Man was the only one who could get close to Thanos and do the snap. People usually think the death of a hero is a horrible tragedy. But we think this is different. When his death was able to bring back hope, to save half of the universe, then his death was powerful and meaningful. We shouldn’t feel too sad or angry about it.
Q: There were some metal smashing sound when the movie ended. Was that an easter egg? or just a tribute to Iron Man, or maybe an implication that Iron Man will return?
A: It was our way to say goodbye to him.
Q: Why there was no Iron Man’s body in his funeral, only his arc reactor? And is there any secret message for bring back that kid from Iron Man 3?
A: We just feel that he should participate in Iron Man‘s funeral. As for whether he will appear again in future, who knows.
Captain America in Avengers: Endgame
Q: Did Captain America’s action at the end affect the timeline? Does that mean there was a time where two Captain Americas existed in a same universe?
A: To me, Cap’s action in the end wasn’t the fact he wanted to change anything, it’s more like me has made a choice. He chose to go back to past and lived with the one he loved for the rest of his life. The time travel in this movie created an alternate reality. He lived a completely different life in that world. We don’t know how exactly his life turned out, but I’d like to believe he still helped many others when they were needed in that world. Yes, there were two Captain Americas in that reality, it’s just like what Hulk said, what happened in the past has already happened. If you go back to past, you simply created a new reality. The characters in this movie created new timeline when they went back to the past, but it had no effect to the prime universe. What happened in the past 22 movies was still canon.
Q: How would Cap react when he encounters Red Skull when he returned the stone?
A: Red Skull would probably put the soul stone back to its location and wait for the next unfortunate stone seeker to make sacrifice. Cap and Red Skull probably won’t fight. It’s because it’s his mission to return the stone to its original place. The Red Skull is also no longer the same Red Skull from First Avenger. He is more like a ghost, you could almost say he’s a completely different entity now. He only exists to guard the stone, his past conscious may or may not exist anymore.
If Gamora came back why couldn’t Natasha?
Great question! Actually we don’t know where Gamora is and Joe Russo confirmed that in an interview several days ago. She was back during the end scenes when Thanos traveled through time with his army. However, after his army is turned to dust we do not see Gamora again except for a picture that Quill is looking at on his ship. Based on what we are told about time travel in Endgame, we could assume that this Gamora could be alive and it is her “alternate timeline” as it is the Gamora before she was sacrificed to the Soul Stone. However, this is all speculation and theory at this point until we are given solid answers in hopefully Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. III.