Avengers: Endgame

• 1. Introduction

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  Avengers: Endgame begins with a family disintegrating on screen. In its opening scene, Clint Barton loses his wife and children to Thanos's snap. Co-director Joe Russo called it "a very tragic scene to open the movie with." He said it was one of the few scenes in the film that made him cry, because he thought about his own family. Writer Christopher Markus said keeping the scene in Infinity War would have blunted the brutality of Thanos's act, so the filmmakers moved it to Endgame.

  Eleven years and twenty-two films into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Avengers had to answer a single question. Could they undo an act that had erased half of all life in the universe, and what would it cost the ones left behind? The film was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and released in 2019. Its estimated budget ran from $356 million to $400 million, one of the highest of any movie ever produced.

  The project had started years earlier under a different name. Marvel announced it in October 2014 as Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2. The studio later dropped that title altogether.

• 2. The Time Heist

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  Twenty-three days after the snap, Carol Danvers finds Tony Stark and Nebula stranded in deep space and brings them home. Reunited with Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Thor, Natasha Romanoff, James Rhodes, and Rocket, the surviving Avengers track Thanos to an uninhabited planet. They learn he has already destroyed the Infinity Stones, and Thor beheads him on the spot.

  Five years pass before Scott Lang stumbles out of the Quantum Realm. He experienced only five hours there while the rest of the world aged half a decade. His return convinces the team that time travel through the Quantum Realm could retrieve the Stones from the past. Tony Stark, Rocket, and a Banner who has fused his intellect with the Hulk's strength and size build a working time machine.

  The heist splits the team across four different points in time. Banner, Scott Lang, Rogers, and Stark travel to New York in 2012, during Loki's attack on the city. There, Banner convinces the Ancient One to hand over the Time Stone, and Rogers pulls the Mind Stone from Hydra agents inside Stark Tower. Rogers and Stark also travel to Camp Lehigh in 1970, where Stark unexpectedly meets his father, Howard. Rogers also steals Pym Particles there from Hank Pym, needed to get back to the present.

  Rocket and Thor travel to Asgard in 2013, where Rocket extracts the Reality Stone from Jane Foster. Thor's mother, Frigga, encourages her son there, and he recovers his old hammer, Mjolnir. Clint Barton, Romanoff, Nebula, and Rhodes travel to 2014, splitting up once they arrive. On Vormir, the Soul Stone's keeper, Red Skull, tells Barton and Romanoff that claiming it requires sacrificing someone loved. Romanoff throws herself from the cliff so that Barton can carry the Stone home. Nebula's cybernetic link to her own 2014 self lets that year's Thanos learn what is coming, and he sends his 2014 version of Nebula forward in time, ahead of his own arrival in the present.

  Back in the present, the Avengers place every Stone into a gauntlet built by Stark, Banner, and Rocket. Banner, whose body resists the Stones' radiation better than anyone else's, wears the gauntlet and reverses the snap. Thanos then arrives from 2014 with his warship and destroys the Avengers Compound. Sorcerers, Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Ravagers, and the armies of Wakanda and Asgard converge to fight him. Stark wrestles the gauntlet away from Thanos and uses the Stones to disintegrate him and his entire army. The act costs Stark his own life.

  Rogers later returns every Stone, and Mjolnir, to its correct place in time. He chooses to remain in the past and live out a life with Peggy Carter. He reappears in the present only as an old man, to pass his shield on to Sam Wilson.

• 3. Endings Written In

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  Markus and McFeely knew Stark's death was coming, describing it as a "move to selflessness" that closed the chapter the character had started. They said Stark had earned a happy ending first, married and a father, living what the writers called "the perfect retirement life." Joe Russo said Stark could never accept not protecting the universe, calling him "the most formidable of all of them... because of his heart."

  Markus described Rogers as a man "moving toward some sort of enlightened self-interest." McFeely knew that Rogers "was going to get his dance" he had promised Peggy Carter in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. He originally planned to kill Rogers off instead, given how long the character had already lived for his job.

  Bruce Banner, according to Anthony Russo, is "the sole character who is actually forging into a bright new future, trying to build something totally new." Russo called him "the one who is most heroic in a sense that he maintains his will to keep trying," unlike other Avengers left hopeless by the loss to Thanos.

  Chris Hemsworth chose Thor's dramatic new look himself, saying, "I just had an opinion. I wanted to do something different this time." Anthony Russo said the character's altered appearance was "not a gag" but "a very common sort of response to depression and pain." Hemsworth underwent around three hours of hair and makeup work for the transformation and wore a large silicone prosthetic suit. He called himself "Lebowski Thor" on set.

  Joe Russo said Natasha Romanoff's choice made sense once she realized her sacrifice was the only way to bring the community back together. McFeely said her "abusive, terrible, mind-control background" meant that trading her life to save the others felt like the ending her journey needed.

  Clint Barton had been under house arrest, a former Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, before grief turned him into a vigilante. McFeely called his transformation "a good example of people who had much stronger stories after the Snap." Karen Gillan said playing Nebula meant confronting a past version of herself, staring down "that angry, bitter and twisted person" she used to be.

• 4. Built In Secret

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  Part 1 of that planned two-film sequel was scheduled for the 4th of May 2018, with Part 2 set for the 3rd of May 2019. Marvel intended to film both back-to-back. Anthony and Joe Russo were hired to direct in April 2015, and Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely signed on to write both scripts the next month. Producer Kevin Feige initially described the two films as "two distinct" projects with shared elements, not one story split in half. The Russos removed the Part 2 label in May 2016, and Marvel left the sequel formally untitled that July, saying withholding the title was meant to avoid giving away plot details.

  Principal photography began on the 10th of August 2017, under the working title Mary Lou 2, at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia. Trent Opaloch served as director of photography, shooting Endgame and Infinity War entirely on ARRI Alexa IMAX 2D cameras, the first Hollywood feature ever shot completely with IMAX digital cameras. That same month, filming also took place in downtown Atlanta's Gulch area, near the Five Points MARTA station, and in Piedmont Park. The 2013 Asgard scenes were shot at Durham Cathedral in England in early May 2017, during Infinity War's production. Anthony Russo said shooting both films simultaneously proved too complicated to schedule, so the studio filmed one, then the other.

  Visual effects work was split across eleven studios, among them Industrial Light & Magic, Weta Digital, and Lola VFX. Lola handled the film's de-aging work, contributing to 200 aging and de-aging shots total. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Mark Ruffalo were de-aged to their 2012 appearances for one such scene. So were Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner, all recreating moments from 2012's The Avengers. Michael Douglas, John Slattery, and Stan Lee were also de-aged, for a scene set in 1970 New Jersey. Stan Lee's cameo as a 1970s car driver was the Marvel co-creator's final film appearance, following his death in 2018. Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt edited the film.

  Co-director Joe Russo appeared on screen too, credited as Gozie Agbo. He played a grieving gay man, the first openly gay character in an MCU film.

• 5. Scoring The Ending

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  Alan Silvestri, who scored 2012's The Avengers, was announced in June 2016 to return for both Infinity War and Endgame. He began working with the Russo brothers on the Endgame score in early November 2018 and finished in late March 2019. Hollywood Records released the digital soundtrack on the 26th of April 2019, the same day as the film, with a physical release following on May 24. A video for "Portals," the track composed for the climactic scene where reinforcements arrive to help the Avengers, followed on June 13.

  Silvestri called it the franchise's most versatile score yet. It ranges from "thunderous percussion and powerful brass" in the action scenes to minimalist, jazz-inspired cues for Ant-Man and the Quantum Realm. He reused themes he had written for Thanos and the Infinity Stones in Infinity War, along with material from Captain America: The First Avenger. Silvestri said finishing the music for Captain America's story was "poignant," since he had "been on this journey with him since the beginning."

  The film also folds in earlier themes: Christophe Beck's music for 2015's Ant-Man, Michael Giacchino's for 2016's Doctor Strange, and Pinar Toprak's theme for Captain Marvel. Two older songs return too. Redbone's "Come and Get Your Love" was first heard in Guardians of the Galaxy. "It's Been a Long, Long Time," written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, first appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

• 6. Selling Without Showing

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  Endgame's marketing campaign cost more than $200 million, the most spent on any Marvel Studios release. Promotional partners included Stand Up to Cancer, Mastercard, Ulta Beauty, McDonald's, GEICO, Coca-Cola, Google, General Mills, Hertz, Ziploc, Oppo, and Synchrony Financial. Audi's e-tron GT concept car, one of the partners, actually appears in the film itself.

  A year before release, io9's Germain Lussier asked whether characters killed in Infinity War would even appear in posters or toy campaigns. He argued that showing the return of the dead characters, rather than hiding it, would create "mystery and curiosity" and a "whole new level of interest." Feige said in June 2018 that the dead characters would not appear in the marketing at all. He added that the campaign itself would not begin until the end of that year.

  In early December 2018, before any trailer existed, The Hollywood Reporter's Graeme McMillan called the surrounding anticipation "remarkable" and largely "fan-created," without direction from Marvel. McMillan urged Marvel not to release a trailer at all, warning that any real footage was "almost guaranteed" to disappoint fans after so much buildup.

  The first trailer arrived on the 7th of December 2018. Marvel's digital marketing vice president, Dustin Sandoval, said the team deliberately left the title and hashtag off trailer posts so fans could watch it without spoilers. The Hollywood Reporter's Richard Newby wrote that the trailer gave "a somber glimpse of a universe made unrecognizable." He said it left viewers with "just as many questions as we had before." Polygon's Austen Goslin traced the film's title back to lines spoken by Doctor Strange in Infinity War and by Stark in 2015's Age of Ultron.

  That trailer was viewed 289 million times in its first 24 hours, breaking the record set by Infinity War's 230 million. It also set a record for Twitter conversation, generating 549,000 mentions about a film trailer within 24 hours. By the 3rd of January 2019, the tracking service BoxOffice found that 77 to 78 percent of surveyed trailer viewers wanted to see the film.

  The second trailer and the theatrical poster were released together on the 14th of March 2019. That trailer drew 268 million views in its first 24 hours, the second-highest total ever at that point. All 13 actors on that poster received top billing except Danai Gurira, whose name appeared only in the bottom credit block. Some fans criticized her exclusion, and Marvel released a revised poster later the same day with Gurira moved into the top billing. Polygon's Petrana Radulovic said poster billing is "a complex process" shaped by agents, fees, and star demands.

• 7. Breaking The Box Office

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  Avengers: Endgame premiered at the Los Angeles Convention Center on the 22nd of April 2019. Disney converted the venue's Hall K for the premiere, installing a 70-foot screen, Dolby Vision projectors, and a Dolby Atmos sound system. The film opened in Australia, China, and other Asian and European markets on April 24. It reached the United Kingdom on April 25, and the United States and India on April 26. Russia's release followed on April 29, after Radio Liberty alleged the government had delayed it to favor Russian-made films.

  When pre-sale tickets went live in the US on the 2nd of April 2019, demand crashed AMC Theatres' website and app for several hours. Fandango called it the top-selling pre-sale film of its first 24 hours, breaking The Force Awakens's record in just six hours. Atom Tickets said Endgame outsold 2018's Aquaman by four times on its own bestselling first day. Regal Cinemas reported more tickets sold in Endgame's first eight hours than Infinity War sold in its entire first week. The film grossed $120 million to $140 million in advance pre-sales. In India, English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu screenings sold one million tickets in a single day, at a rate of 18 tickets every second. In China, pre-sales opened on April 12 and sold one million tickets in six hours, earning $114.5 million, a pace that surpassed Infinity War's entire first-24-hours total within the first hour alone.

  Endgame played in 4,662 theaters, 410 of them IMAX screens, the widest release of any film to that point. Its opening weekend grossed $357.1 million domestically, beating Infinity War's record by nearly $100 million. Friday alone brought in $157.5 million, including $60 million from Thursday night previews. Saturday added $109.3 million and Sunday $90.4 million, giving the weekend a bigger total than the previous all-time high scored by every film combined. Its per-theater average of $76,601 broke the previous record of $59,982 set by The Force Awakens. The film crossed $600 million domestically faster than any predecessor, in ten days.

  Globally, Endgame opened with $1.2 billion, nearly double Infinity War's previous opening record of $640 million. It reached $1 billion in five days and $1.5 billion in eight, both records. On May 4, its worldwide total passed the entire theatrical run of Infinity War. It reached $2 billion in just 11 days, versus 47 days for Avatar, and hit $2.5 billion in 20 days, versus 72 for Avatar.

  Endgame ultimately grossed nearly $2.8 billion worldwide. It held the record for the highest-grossing film of all time from July 2019 until March 2021, when Avatar reclaimed the title after its China re-release. Deadline Hollywood put the film's final net profit at $890 million, after production, marketing, and talent costs. That figure ranked it first among 2019's most valuable blockbusters.

• 8. Critics And What Comes Next

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  Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus called the film "exciting, entertaining, and emotionally impactful," delivering "a satisfying finale to Marvel's epic Infinity Saga." Metacritic gave it 78 out of 100 based on 57 critics, rating it "generally favorable." CinemaScore audiences handed it an A+, making Endgame only the third Marvel film to earn that grade, after The Avengers and 2018's Black Panther. PostTrak audiences gave it five stars out of five and an 85 percent "definite recommend."

  NPR's Glen Weldon praised the film as "an extended victory lap for the Marvel Cinematic Universe writ large." Rolling Stone's Peter Travers gave it four stars, joking the time-travel plot let the film "make its own" Back to the Future references. Variety's Peter Debruge called it "a more fan-facing three-hour follow-up" to Infinity War, one that rewards "loyalty to Marvel Cinematic Universe." The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy singled out the acting from Downey, Ruffalo, Evans, Hemsworth, Brolin, and Paul Rudd as the film's real strength. The Chicago Sun-Times's Richard Roeper gave it four stars, praising its "emotional punch" and the "universally stellar performances."

  The New York Times's A. O. Scott was more guarded, calling Endgame "a monument to adequacy." He still credited it with giving audiences "a chance to appreciate what has been done" before the story moved on. RogerEbert.com's Brian Tallerico called it "a more patient, focused film" than Infinity War, and colleague Matt Zoller Seitz called it "a heartfelt and satisfying experience." The New Yorker's Richard Brody was harsher, arguing the Russos had "peculiarly little sense of visual pleasure" despite strong performances. His colleague Anthony Lane went further, writing that viewers could "duck out during the middle hour" and "won't have missed a thing."

  At the 92nd Academy Awards, Endgame was nominated for Best Visual Effects. It also won an Annie Award and two of its three Critics' Choice Movie Award nominations, plus a British Academy Film Award nomination. Its Wikipedia page drew 44.2 million views in 2019, the most of any article that year. Empire magazine ranked it 41st in a March 2020 poll of the 100 greatest films of the 21st century. In February 2022, the Avengers' assembling moment was named a finalist for an Oscars Cheer Moment, though the film was ineligible for other awards that year.

  In May 2018, Disney CEO Bob Iger said Marvel was shifting focus to new characters, though another Avengers film could still happen someday. Feige confirmed as much in January 2021. By the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, he had announced two follow-ups: Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Destin Daniel Cretton was originally set to direct The Kang Dynasty, before stepping down by November 2023. Jonathan Majors, cast as the villain Kang the Conqueror in both films, was fired by Disney and Marvel in December 2023 after his conviction for assault. By then, Marvel was referring to the project internally as Avengers 5.

  At the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, the Russo brothers announced they would direct Avengers 5 after all. The film was retitled Avengers: Doomsday, with Doctor Doom now the main antagonist instead of Kang. Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Doom, and Chris Evans is set to reprise Rogers despite the character's "definitive ending" in Endgame. The Russos called Rogers "the character that changed our lives," adding that his return "was always going to come back" to the story.

  Endgame itself returns to theaters on the 25th of September 2026, with new footage the Russos call a narrative "bridge" into what comes next. Avengers: Doomsday follows on the 18th of December 2026, with Secret Wars arriving the following the 17th of December 2027.