Over the weekend, Marvel Studios reminded fans how good we all had Captain America Storyline with the big-screen return of Avengers: Endgame, a triumph of comic book storytelling that culminated several phases of MCU lore into a satisfying conclusion to the Infinity Saga. The Avengers: Endgame Encore earned roughly $26 million in its celebrated return, assisted by four new scenes that connect the existing film to this December’s anticipated release, Avengers: Doomsday.
Going back to revisit Avengers: Endgame helps bring up so many questions we had about the MCU at that time. So it was a pleasure to connect with Joe and Anthony Russo on the weekend their record-setting blockbuster was to return to theaters, to dig into where they have been – as well as where they are going. In our conversation, CBR and The Russos discussed their take on Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and how they handled the Guardians of the Galaxy.
But it was a conversation about Chris Evans’ Captain America that finally unearthed a massive truth about Avengers: Endgame, and conversations the brothers had about how to end the film. As it turns out, a very popular storyline involving Marvel’s first Avenger almost came to pass, and Joe Russo tells CBR why they decided against it.
'We Did Circle It For a Long Time'
By now, anyone reading this far knows that at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Captain America agrees to travel back in time and return the Infinity Stones to the exact moment where the Avengers “borrowed” them, which erases the branched timeline and theoretically prevents catastrophe.
Ever since Endgame ended that way, though, Marvel fans have asked for a project – either a Disney+ show or even a movie – that showed Chris Evans’ Cap returning the Stones, and maybe getting into all sorts of adventures. Think of it like Loki, which also began where the villain (played by Tom Hiddleston) exited Avengers: Endgame.
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So when I had time with the Russo Brothers to discuss all things Endgame, I did ask them if there were any conversations around having Steve Rogers encounter his nemesis, The Red Skull, on Vormir. And Joe Russo told CBR:
We did have that conversation. There might have even been… I think we toyed around with an idea of like, ‘Is there a montage where he puts the stones back?’ We felt like it just played past the ending. We were like, ‘It seems like much more complicated than a montage could sustain.’ And so we didn't do it.
Joe’s brother and co-director Anthony Russo added:
We did circle it for a long time, that idea.
This makes a lot of sense. Just the idea of sending Captain America back through time to return the Infinity Stones is intriguing enough for a multi-episode Disney+ show (even though it sounds like Marvel and Disney are scaling back on streaming properties). Back when we didn’t know that Chris Evans was a big part of Avengers: Doomsday, I personally thought that “Cap and The Stones” would be the way that Marvel would bring Evans back to the MCU. It would be a self-contained story. It wouldn’t have to impact the ongoing MCU main line. And you get more Evans in his signature role.
I don’t think I’m alone in thinking this way, because when I mention the idea to the Russo Brothers, Joe replied to me:
I think that's a great idea. How about a movie?
Could this be a movie that the Russo Brothers do after they deliver Avengers: Secret Wars? We know they like working with Evans. They started in the MCU on Captain America movies, and they teed themselves up for this possible adventure. We also know that Steve Rogers staying in the past with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) causes disruptions, hence the appearance of Loki in the Endgame Encore end credits. That thread will be picked up in Avengers: Doomsday.
Somewhere deep down, I knew that the Russo Brothers had at least considered showing us Steve Rogers attempting to return the Infinity Stones in the past. Mainly because you don’t put Red Skull on Vormir without trying to show Captain America finding him there. But also, there’s just so much potential for MCU stories that rip narratives from the comics by restaging some of these incredible sequences. I guess we will see if this ever comes to pass. As Joe Russo says, “How about a movie?”
Avengers: Endgame is playing in theaters right now, and Avengers: Doomsday will open in theaters beginning on December 16 in the UK.
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