Anna Daniels
Everything worked out for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Endgame, but the snap in Avengers: Infinity War killed off all of Marvel’s superheroes except for the OG Avengers. Fans have long speculated why Marvel kept the original team together for Endgame. During a special quarantine watch party, Avengers: Endgame writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus finally revealed the real reason the OG Avengers survived Thanos’ snap.
Marvel keeps the OG Avengers alive for ‘Avengers: Endgame’
In the final moments of Infinity War, Thanos used the Infinity Gauntlet to wipe out half of the life in the universe. This included a good chunk of Marvel’s heroes, like Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and the entire Guardians of the Galaxy squad.
But just about all of the original members of the Avengers survived the snap. While their counterparts were turned to dust, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) survived.
Fans immediately speculated about why Marvel kept the original team alive. The leading theory was the studio wanted to focus on the Phase 1 superheroes, many of which would not be moving forward after Avengers: Endgame.
The second part of the Infinity War Saga was meant to be a finale of sorts for the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Starting this fall, Marvel will be launching Phase 4, which will serve as a soft reboot for the entire MCU.
Why did Marvel keep the fan-favorites around for ‘Avengers: Endgame’?
Turns out, fans were right about why the OG Avengers survived Thanos’ snap in Infinity War. A fan asked Markus and McFeely about the decision during the watch party and the writers revealed that they wanted Avengers: Endgame to be a final ode to the Phase 1 superheroes.
“Were the original Avengers intended to be left alive so that Endgame could be very much a finale and an ode to these original characters?” the fan asked.
“Largely, yes. – CM,” Markus answered.
According to We Got This Covered, the comments echo what Marvel’s Kevin Feige shared in 2019. Feige revealed that they wanted to focus on the MCU’s original six superheroes in Avengers: Endgame, many of whom did not get a lot of screen time in Infinity War.
“People would point out that that Cap wasn’t in Infinity War a whole lot. And Iron Man didn’t really speak for that last half hour because of what was going on. But those characters, and all of the original six, are very much the focus of Endgame in a very personal and emotional way,” he explained.
This is why Downey and Cumberbatch never shared a Sherlock joke
Another question fans had for the writers was related to Sherlock Holmes. Downey and Cumberbatch have both portrayed the iconic detective in various projects, and fans thought Marvel would poke fun at this fact at some point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Although the characters shared plenty of screen time, they never slipped in a Sherlock joke. When fans asked the writers why they didn’t include a “no sh*t, Sherlock” quip in the MCU, they replied that it was simply “too meta for us.”
That said, the Russo brothers actually included a Sherlock joke when Tony and Strange first meet. The line, however, was cut prior to filming, but it does show that the directors were more open to the idea than the writers.
Does the MCU have multiple Infinity Gauntlets?
Another big mystery related to the Infinity Saga pertains to Thanos’ famed Infinity Gauntlet. Prior to Thanos wearing it in Infinity War, the gauntlet popped up in two previous projects. The first was in a post-credits scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron and the second was in Thor: Ragnarok.
These two appearances seemingly contradict the Avengers: Endgame story that Thanos forced Eitri (Peter Dinklage) to make the Infinity Gauntlet. Luckily, Markus and McFeely had an explanation for why the MCU has multiple gauntlets floating around.
“I believe there is an existing myth of a gauntlet that could unify the stones. Hence the fake one in Odin’s vault, and Thanos wearing this fashionable “practice gauntlet.” When he needed a real one, he went to Eitri,” the writers noted.
Markus and McFeely did not say why Thanos needed a practice gauntlet, but perhaps he needed to make sure the real one fit?
Fans can stream Avengers: Endgame on Disney+.
Written by: Cheat
