After the premiere of “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, the world was turned on its head over the outcome of the biggest battle showdown the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had ever seen. Spoiler alert ahead if you have not seen Avengers Endgame. Since the credits rolled on the movie, everything about this world of films has changed.
By the end of the film, Iron Man, Black Widow, and Captain America were dead, or at least presumed to be. Tony Stark and Natasha sacrificed themselves to save the universe, and Steve Rogers decided to spend his second shot at life with Agenter Peggy Carter. After returning the infinity stones, Steve returned to a timeline where he could grow old with Peggy, allowing him to finally have that dance with his girl. For much of the Marvel audience, this was as sweet as an ending that could have been wished for. Being the first Avenger, it was extremely bittersweet watching Chris Evans sign off from this role for the last time. But I was deeply confused by the plot twist.
This movie introduced a whole new concept to the MCU- the idea of the Marvel Universe, also known as the multiverse. Now, plot lines that were not possible previously were on the table. If there was something in a movie that couldn’t be solved, it was now easy to blame it on the multiverse. Not only this, but the shows that aired on Disney+ following Endgame clearly showed that the multiverse is going to be a large part of the next phase of the MCU. As exciting as this is for many reasons, including introducing new characters and a possible crossover Spider-man event, I personally feel that this is the beginning of the end for the MCU.
Arguably, nothing will ever top Endgame. It is the movie of a lifetime, and will be hard for Marvel to ever come close to that enormous level of success. While trying to grapple a new shift in the MCU, the producers and story writers will have to tiptoe their way around an endless maze of plot holes. There are countless questions as to how Steve was able to stay with Peggy without affecting the timeline.
More questions are answered as the shows on Disney+ release clearer information on the ways in which the multiverse works. Still, wasn’t Steve breaking the rules of time travel when we went into another timeline to be with Peggy? Would Sharon Carter now be his niece in this new universe? If, by the TVA’s rules, everything that happens in a timeline is already predetermined, wouldn’t this destroy the structure of the timeline?
Questions like these will continue to be asked as the franchise continues to dip farther into the multiverse and time travel, and the lack of three of the biggest characters the movie screen has ever known will be a hard hit.
I am a big fan of the MCU. I will still be at every movie, read every article, and watch every show that this monster of a franchise has to offer. We are entering a much different phase of the MCU, and mistakes will be made that can never be recovered. I fear that we have passed the golden age of Marvel, but I hope future releases will prove me wrong .