Avengers: Endgame is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most significant entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The movie not only was a colossal tentpole event, but it also served as the conclusion of the Infinity Saga. Endgame addressed the aftermath of Avengers: Infinity War and featured a time heist to defeat Thanos once and for all.
The Marvel universe was never the same after Avengers: Endgame. Here are the ways it changed:
Iron Man sacrificed himself:
Endgame marked the end of Robert Downey Jr.’s tenure as Tony Stark/ Iron Man, and the character’s story came to a close only after he made the ultimate sacrifice by snapping his fingers to defeat Thanos. Iron Man’s death set the stage for the new iterations of the MCU.
Captain America and his new identity:
Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, opted to retire from being a superhero and delivered his shield to Sam Wilson (The Falcon). Sam Wilson would assume the mantle of Captain America in the upcoming Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The Multiverse was introduced:
Endgame may have introduced the concept of multiverses well before Doctor Strange teased it at the end of his first stand-alone film. When Tony and Steve accidentally time travel to the early 1970s, Tony runs into his father Howard Stark and picks up a picture of Peggy Carter, thus confirming that the two had a life together that Steve never knew about.
The Avengers disbanded:
Endgame ended the Avengers’ first era. The ending montage showed the various characters going their separate ways, with the surviving Avengers bidding farewell to the fallen Iron Man, Steve Rogers, and Black Widow.
Changes to the past:
Endgame’s time-heist plot brought significant changes to the Marvel universe’s past. For example, Loki’s disappearance with the Tesseract (the blue cube that houses the Space Stone) means he’s out there somewhere with an Infinity Stone. That would explain Hiddleston’s upcoming Disney+ miniseries Loki, which follows the God of Mischief post-Avengers: Endgame.
Avengers: Endgame was an epic journey that changed the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever. The movie set the stage for the upcoming Marvel projects, and we keenly anticipate what the franchise will bring. As Stan Lee said, “Excelsior!”