NOTE: FULL SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME FOLLOW
After a year of huge anticipation, following the shocking cliffhanger Avengers: Infinity War left us with, Avengers: Endgame is finally here, wrapping up the first 11 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and offering us closure on several plotlines and character arcs.
But in a movie that is this big, with this many characters, it’s not surprising we’re left with some lingering questions by the end.
In the video above, we discuss some of the questions that really stood out at the end – some that look to have fairly simple answers, but many with more than one possibility for what the true explanation could be, which we’ll likely see be more elaborated on in future MCU projects.
Read on below, as we break down those questions and our observations about what they could mean…
ONE MORE HUGE SPOILER WARNING FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME!
Did ALL of Spidey’s Classmates get snapped?
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, we see Peter Parker return to high school. As he’s experienced it, he’s probably only been gone a week or two, but for the world, it’s been five years. He has an emotional reunion with his best friend, Ned, which seemingly lets us know that Ned must have also been among the “snapped” – after all, why would Ned be at high school any longer otherwise?
But that raises a lot of questions about the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home, where Peter and Ned are on an apparent class trip where they are joined by nearly all of the core classmates we saw in Spider-Man: Homecoming, including Flash, Betty, and MJ. But how could this be? Were all of Peter’s classmates, or at least those closest to him, among the unlucky 50% who Thanos snapped away? While it might be possible, it seems unlikely. But otherwise, why would all of these kids still be in high school after five years? Could that first Far From Home teaser been misleading us a bit and this isn’t a straight-up “class trip,” but something that could somehow unite both current students and alumni? Or did more than one of Peter’s friends pull a Screech in Saved by the Bell: The New Class and become an assistant at their old high school? Could this movie take place before Avengers: Infinity War? Or, could PART of this movie take place before Infinity War, and another part after Endgame?
Luckily, we won’t have to wait too long to get concrete answers on this one, since Spider-Man: Far From Home is out in just a couple of months, on July 5th.
What Does This Mean for the Black Widow Movie?
While Marvel Studios has yet to officially announce any movies they are making after Spider-Man: Far From Home, it’s no secret that a Black Widow film is close to production, with Scarlet Johannson set to reprise her role as Natasha Romanoff. This is pretty notable by the end of Endgame of course, given Natasha is dead. However, for quite some time now, it’s been rumored that the Black Widow movie would be a prequel, set before we met the spy turned superhero in Iron Man 2, and Widow’s status by the end of Endgame likely confirms this.
While some might lament that this would mean the Black Widow movie could only give us some backstory on Natasha and not move the overall MCU story forward, that isn’t necessarily true at all. Cast members like David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Florence Pugh, and O-T Fagbenle have all joined the film, and there has been some speculation that Fighting With My Family‘s Pugh could be playing Yelena Belova, a comics character who serves another modern day Black Widow in the comics. Either way, it’s a safe bet that new characters we meet in the Black Widow film can and will pop back up in other films set in the present, even while the film acts as a bigger send off for Natasha by telling an important story from her past.
Where did 2012 Loki go?
The short answer for the above question is: Probably to Disney+
When the Avengers try to grab the Tesseract in 2012, things go horribly awry, and the just-captured 2012 version of Loki (fresh off the events of the first Avengers movie) manages to grab it and escape through a portal. But to where?
A Loki TV series has been announced for Disney+, and there had been a lot of talk about when it would take place in the timeline, given Loki’s death in Avengers: Infinity War. But now we have a very likely answer, as the show probably will focus on this version of Loki, who has still not redeemed his wicked ways – though we know he has the potential to do so.
Where’s Gamora?
Drax, don’t worry, we know why is Gamora: Though she also died in Infinity War, Gamora returns in Endgame when her past self travels to the present with Thanos. However, conversations with her sister Nebula cause her to make the turn against Thanos we know she was destined for, as she joins the Avengers in their fight to stop him.
However, after the battle is over, she vanishes, though we see Peter Quill is searching for her. Of course, the problem is, this version of Gamora has no memories of Quill, nor of any of the Guardians of the Galaxy, having never experienced joining the group. Plucked from her own time and reeling from what she has just experience and learned, it’s anyone’s guess where she went.
But it’s a safe bet we’ll find out in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Is Thor a Guardian of the Galaxy Now?
The last time we see Thor in Endgame, he is departing Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy aboard their ship, while he and Quill squabble over who’s in charge. So should we assume Thor is now a full-fledged member of the team?
That’s a firm… maybe. Going into Endgame, we’d heard that while this was almost certainly the end of the road for Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. there was a better chance of Chris Hemsworth returning for more films. And of the original “big three” Avengers, Thor is the one with the least amount of full closure to his story.
Certainly, it’s easy to imagine a version of Guardians Vol. 3 with Thor as a full member of the team, fighting alongside them for the entire film. Then again, he did tell Valkyrie he was essentially just getting a ride with them, so perhaps when Vol. 3 begins, they’ve parted ways. Still, whether he’s there for the whole time, or pops up at some point, it feels like there’s a very good chance Thor will appear in some capacity in that film. And if he doesn’t, there are other cosmic-based MCU movies coming up where he also would fit in…
What’s next for Hulk?
Of the six original Avengers, Hulk is the one who gets the least specific send off in Endgame. Now that Thanos has been stopped, and the world saved, what’s next for “Professor Hulk,” as Bruce Banner continues to live a life now fully in control of the Hulk’s immense power?
It’s an interesting question, given the Hulk’s incredible strength is probably one reason the character — like Thor and now, Captain Marvel — often has to be somehow taken out of action, lest he too easily turn the tide and lower the stakes for our heroes. As the MCU continues, it will be difficult to not ask “Where’s the Hulk?” should a great threat arise that he could help fight.
It’s anyone’s guess exactly where we’ll see him again — maybe Bruce Banner could compare scientific notes with Shuri in Wakanda — but we’re pretty confident we will eventually see Hulk again in these films. On a contractual side, it’s worth noting Mark Ruffalo simply hasn’t been in as many of these films as most of his fellow original Avengers, and likely has a movie or two left to go. It’s just a question of where and when he’ll appear.
Marvel Studios has not made any more solo Hulk movies because of legal entanglements with Universal that complicate matters, but that doesn’t mean Bruce Banner can’t continue to lend his intellect and incredible strength around the MCU from time to time.
What’s Hawkeye’s Status Now? And Could His Daughter Become a Superhero?
Hawkeye’s been trying to retire from the superhero game for awhile now, but while the crisis in Civil War and Endgame brought him back into combat, it feels like he’ll be more committed than ever to his family now that he went through the horror of losing them thanks to Thanos.
Of course, that’s not to say there might not be other events that will bring him back into action. And it’s not to say someone else can’t take on the name Hawkeye. But who?
It’s been reported (though not yet officially announced) that Jeremy Renner will be starring in a Hawkeye TV series for Disney+. On top of that, word is it could be about him training Kate Bishop to take over the mantle. In the comics, Kate is a young teen hero who also goes by the name Hawkeye and who eventually becomes Clint’s protegee. On the other hand, Endgame not only went out of the way to show Clint training his daughter Lila as an archer, but to even have him call her “Hawkeye” at one point. So might Lila and Kate be merged into one character, with Lila essentially taking on Kate’s role? Or could we meet Kate as well? Disney+ has our answers…
Who was that teenager?
This is definitely the easiest question to answer, while also one of the most frequently asked for folks just finishing watching Endgame. At Tony Stark’s memorial, the camera pans through a group of familiar faces from the MCU, including plenty of superheroes, government agents, and notable allies and loved ones. But one sticks out for some – a teenage boy, standing by himself. Many have wondered who this boy is and whether we’ve ever seen him before.
Why yes, yes we have. As the photo above indicates, that’s Harley Keener, the kid who helped Tony after he crashed in Tennessee with a damaged suit of armor in Iron Man 3. Ty Simpkins reprises his role as Harley, but given he was only 11 when Iron Man 3 opened and has aged quite a bit since, it’s understandable that many don’t recognize him when he makes his appearance in Endgame.
Are the Avengers Over?
Things don’t look good for the future of the Avengers by the end of Endgame. Their headquarters is destroyed. Tony Stark, the man who funded and supplied them, is dead. Steve Rogers, the man who led them, is effectively retired and well past superhero-ing age. But should we assume that’s it for the team?
Well, first is the real world answer, which is it feels quite unlikely that this will be the last movie called Avengers to ever be released.
And second, within the world of the MCU, there are many reasons to believe that the Avengers will live on. There are several active heroes still around who could be members — including folks like Hulk, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther and Captain Marvel (and perhaps Hawkeye, if the situation called for it… though man, Clint just wants to enjoy some time with his family!). Also, it’s easy to assume that Tony Stark and Steve Rogers would both have wanted the Avengers legacy to continue and that it’s something Tony would have made sure was taken care of after his death on the financial side. Plus, Steve passed on the Captian America identity to Falcon, and Cap and the Avengers have quite a connection.
It might take awhile to happen, but we firmly believe the Avengers will assemble again.
So Many Cap Questions!
There are a ton of questions surrounding Captain America in Endgame, mostly revolving his travel back into the past at the film’s conclusion. Many of these questions branch off into larger discussions about the MCU timeline and how it’s impacted by Avengers: Endgame – and rest assured, we have a larger look at the timeline coming soon!
But in the meantime, let’s bullet point some of the Cap-specific questions.
Who’s Got the Hammer?
Cap’s mission was to return the Infinity Stones to the places in time the Avengers took them from. But he also left with Thor’s hammer Mjölner, which Thor had taken from, well, himself, during the events of Thor: The Dark World. While not explicitly stated, we can assume Cap was also going to return the hammer from whence it came and accomplished that goal, so that the Thor in the past has it to battle Malekith and the Dark Elves.
Speaking of Thor’s hammer, while this is not connected as much to Steve’s time travel, there are some questions about why Steve was now able to pick up the hammer, when he hadn’t been able to in Avengers: Age of Ultron – though the hammer had notably moved a bit for him in that film. Had Steve somehow become more worthy in the years since? Considering that Steve Rogers has been an incredibly brave, courageous man his entire life — before the Super Soldier Serum even — that doesn’t sound right. More likely he didn’t lift the hammer in Age of Ultron for a different reason – either he realized he could, but chose not to (hey, Steve wouldn’t want to make Thor upset just as a party gag!) or perhaps he couldn’t lift it simply because at that point, he didn’t need to. He probably always was worthy, it’s just that the moment for him to truly need the hammer wasn’t there yet. And it was there in a big way in Endgame.
Was Steve Always Peggy’s husband?
The very end of the film confirms that Steve returned to the arms of his great love, Peggy Carter, allowing them to live a long and happy life together that they’d previously been denied… or had they? From Peggy’s perspective, perhaps not.
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we learned Peggy had a husband – a World War II veteran who Peggy said Steve himself saved during the war. But was this all a cover, as Peggy protected the fact that her husband was this time traveling version of Steve? The alternative is Steve basically stopping some poor other guy — at least in one timeline — from his own happy life with Peggy. But that doesn’t sound like Steve. It feels like Steve was always Peggy’s husband and that in true Kyle Reese fashion, the man from the future was always the one who took this important role in the past.
Where Did Cap Get a New Shield From?
Old Man Cap returns with his famous shield and gives it to Falcon. However, his younger self didn’t travel back in time with a shield, given his was all but destroyed by Thanos. So where did this second shield come from? The more direct, but also kind of off-putting, theory is he took it from himself – either retrieving it from his own frozen self, waiting to be found in the ice after World War II, or from his Avengers-era incarnation. But that would mean he was consciously creating another time rift, not to mention depriving another version of himself of his most important weapon.
What’s worth noting is Steve Rogers went into the past with a lot of knowledge he didn’t have initially. When he was given his shield for the first time during World War II, he was told how rare Vibranium was, and believed there was little, if any, left on Earth. But Steve would eventually learn this wasn’t the truth – and that there was plenty of Vibranium in Wakanda. So who’s to say he couldn’t simply go to Wakanda and get more? No, not by stealing it, but by speaking to whomever the King was during his visit (T’Chaka or his father?) and convincing them of his noble purpose, before recruiting Howard Stark — who we’d like to believe Peggy would have let in on her “I’m married to Captain America” secret — to make him a new one?
How Awkward Was Steve and Red Skull’s Reunion?
When Steve returned the Soul Stone to Vormir, one presumes he encountered the Stonekeeper, AKA his hated World War II era nemesis, the Red Skull. At this point, there’s no reason to think they would fight, given how much things had changed for them. But wouldn’t you like to know what was said between them? How weird must that have been?? And seriously, can we get a Disney+ animated special just about that?
