The ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Writers Reverse-Engineered Captain America’s And Iron Man’s Endings

iron man captain america

Marvel Studios


With the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios closed the first decade-long chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by saying goodbye to two of its founding fathers in two very different ways.

Warning: spoilers of Avengers: Endgame will now follow.

The heart and soul of the MCU, Steve Rodgers, and Tony Stark were given two very different sendoffs at the end of Endgame, as Stark laid down his life to permanently vanquish Thanos, while Steve Rodgers was sent back in time to enjoy the life he always deserved.

And according to the screenwriters of the iconic film, they actually reverse-engineered the duos respective conclusions, as they decided on a fitting ending for the two MCU staples and worked backward from there.

During IndieWire’s Consider This FYC Brunch, Markus said the screenwriting duo “worked backwards from Tony Stark’s death and Steve going back to Peggy.” By knowing the exact point where the characters’ journeys would end, the writers could then craft appropriate journeys that would result in “meaningful endings” and not “tragic ones.”

“What an arc Tony’s been on!” McFeely told the Consider This FYC Brunch audience. “He went from being a selfish jerk to leader of the Avengers to someone willing to sacrifice himself. And he crossed with Steve Rogers, in a way. As Tony becomes more selfless, Steve becomes more self-interested. Steve started with falling on the grenade in training camp, willing to give up his life. He put off his entire life from the 1940s on and the end of his arc was to actually live a life.” [via IndieWire]

However they did it, Disney is obviously pleased with the results, as not only did Avengers: Endgame famously become the highest-grossing movie of all-time, but they’re submitting the film for consideration for various Academy Award categories, including Best Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects, and Original Score.

***

Eric is a New York City-based writer who still isn’t quite sure how he’s allowed to have this much fun for a living and will tell anyone who listens that Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey. Contact him on Twitter @eric_ital or via email eric@brobible.com