The End. It’s over. Done. A wrap. No mas. Or as Porky Pig would say “That’s All Folks!”
Yes, the time has come to say goodbye to our beloved superheroes. It all began back in 2008 with Iron Man as we watched Tony Stark build his first suit of armor, the Mark I, in order to escape that cave. Since then, there have been 20 films (and also 10 tv series) that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is a little bittersweet because over the last 11 years we have all eagerly anticipated each Marvel film, the sequels, the spin-offs, the new characters…all without ever really accepting that like all things, this would eventually come to an end.
The good news is…. this isn’t really the end. Disney CEO Bob Iger had this to say regarding Marvel’s plans after Endgame: “I’m guessing we will try our hand at what I’ll call a new franchise beyond Avengers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t see more Avengers down the road. We just haven’t made any announcements about that. Given the popularity of the characters and given the popularity of the franchise, I don’t think people should conclude there will never be another Avengers movie.”
Normally I would write a review or give my thoughts on the film but it’s kind of a no-brainer that it is awesome. So rather than dissect the plot, breakdown every detail and fan theory, I figured I would give you some insight as to how the films are connected and some cool trivia to boot.
The MCU timeline can be a bit confusing if you aren’t a die hard fan. But if you are curious as to what year each film takes place or you just wanna impress your friends, here is the full breakdown:
For those of you who haven’t been keeping up with all of the events leading up to Endgame, here are a few films you should watch in order to help you better understand what’s what:
The Avengers (2012)
Thor’s adopted brother Loki invades New York City with an army provided by Thanos. He wields a scepter that holds the Mind Stone. He is also in possession of the Tesseract, which holds the Space Stone.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Jane Foster is brought to Asgard in order to remove the Aether from her body. A post-credits scene shows that it’s actually the Reality Stone. The Asgardians already have the Tesseract stored in their vault, so they give the Reality Stone to The Collector (Benicio del Toro).
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Star-Lord finds an orb on a ship while scavenging. Thanos sends his adopted daughter Gamora to retrieve the orb which contains the Power Stone. Instead she decides to team up with Star-Lord, Drax, Groot and Rocket and do whatever is necessary to keep Thanos from obtaining the stone.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Tony Stark learns that Captain America’s old friend Bucky Barnes, now known as The Winter Soldier, murdered his parents. This, along with members of the Avengers being split over the Sokovia Accords, causes infighting amongst them. By the end of the movie Cap and Iron Man are no longer on speaking terms and the Avengers eventually fall apart.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Thanos obtains all Infinity Stones, making him the most powerful being. The Avengers and The Guardians of the Galaxy work together to try and defeat him. After proving none are a match against his Infinity Gauntlet, Thor appears with his new weapon, the Stormbreaker axe. Thor manages to severely wound Thanos with a blow to the chest but it doesn’t kill him, giving him enough time to snap his fingers, killing half of all life in the universe.
Characters killed: Winter Soldier, Black Panther, Groot, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, Mantis, Drax, Star-Lord, Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, as well as Maria Hill and Nick Fury (although Fury is able to transmit an emergency signal to Captain Marvel right before turning to dust).
Character still alive: Iron Man, Nebula, Hulk, M’Baku, Okoye, War Machine, Rocket, Captain America, Black Widow and Thor.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
The events in this film and Infinity War are happening at the same time. It’s revealed that Scott Lang was put on house arrest and could not leave to join the fight against Thanos. During a mid-credits scene, Scott enters the quantum realm with Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne monitoring in the real world. Thanos snaps his fingers causing them to disintegrate, leaving Scott stuck in the subatomic world.
Here’s some interesting tidbits you might like to know:
- Robert Downey Jr. was the only cast member to read the entire script.
- Brie Larson filmed her scenes for Endgame first before shooting Captain Marvel, even though the film was released a month prior.
- Evangeline Lill and Paul Rudd were filming Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and their scenes for Engame at the same time.
- Although Endgame marks RDJ’s last contractual obligation to play Tony Stark/Iron Man for Marvel Studios, he has stated he plans on being involved with the MCU in the future.
There are still plenty of future Marvel films set to hit theaters. Here is a list of what’s to come:
- X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX – JUNE 7, 2019
- SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME – JULY 5, 2019
- THE NEW MUTANTS – AUGUST 2, 2019
- GAMBIT – MARCH 13, 2020
- BLACK WIDOW – 2020 TBD
- THE ETERNALS – 2020 TBD
- SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE 2 – 2020/2021 TBD
- SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE SPINOFF – 2021 TBD
- BLACK PANTHER 2 – 2021 TBD
- DOCTOR STRANGE 2 – 2021 TBD
Lastly, if you still need more to fill the void now that we won’t be seeing our favorite comic characters on the big screen anytime soon, you can click the links below and check out all of the actors (and directors) that have been guests on “Sway in the Morning” over the years!
- Anthony and Joe Russo – Directors of Captain America: Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Infinity War, Endgame
- Chris Hemsworth – Thor
- Don Cheadle – War Machine
- Elizabeth Olsen – Scarlet Witch
- Anthony Mackie – Falcon
- Chris Pratt – Star Lord
- Zoe Saldana – Gamora
- Black Panther – Interview with cast and director Ryan Coogler
- Tom Holland – Spider Man
In the words of Stan Lee…”Nuff Said!”
