Kevin Feige had a far crazier idea for Avengers: Endgame climax inspired by the Toy Story 3 ending. Feige wanted to kill off all the six OG Avengers at the end of the film and proposed the idea to directors Russo brothers and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. However, they shot down the idea since the directors believed that they could not do justice to all these character deaths.
Moreover, too many deaths would’ve left the audience in a disappointed and confused state. The sacrifices of Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man were the only ones required to create an emotional impact on the viewers. With Captain America’s fitting happy ending, fans were overwhelmed with emotions while leaving the theaters.
Kevin Feige’s Original Plan For Avengers: Endgame Couldn’t Have Had The Same Impact
Robert Downey Jr.‘s Tony Stark went out as a great hero in the climactic battle of Avengers: Endgame. Iron Man surpassed Earth’s other mighty Avengers to single-handedly defeat the entire army of Thanos using the Infinity Stones. Fans could never forget his ultimate sacrifice, making it one of the most powerful moments in cinematic history.
The emotional impact and success of the film almost never happened due to Kevin Feige‘s one idea. Inspired by Pixar’s Toy Story 3, Feige wanted all of the original characters who kickstarted the MCU, the OG six Avengers, to die together in the film. It was revealed in the book, The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Joe Russo, the director of Avengers: Endgame, revealed in the book that Feige’s initial pitch was to kill off the OG Avengers. Joe and Anthony Russo spent years coming up with the epic Infinity Saga finale with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They just wanted everything to be perfect and found a few issues with Feige’s idea.
They were concerned that killing off all six characters meant that they had to celebrate each one of them. However, it was not possible in the film’s tightly-written screenplay. Moreover, the Russos were sure that the viewers would be disappointed and confused if each character weren’t given a proper sendoff. The book revealed:
‘Kevin’s initial pitch was that it was Toy Story 3 – a ‘they’re all gonna jump into a furnace together’ concept,’ reveals Joe Russo. The brothers’ pushback was that there was no possible way for the story to be able to take the time to celebrate each one of them. And that, for the fans, it was an impossible scenario to walk out of the theater and process.
Instead, the Russo brothers chose a path where fans could mourn for Iron and Black Widow, feel poignantly happy for Captain America’s arc, and await the others’ arc to conclude further down the MCU lane. Looking back at it now, it was the perfect climax that fans needed from the film.
Avengers: Endgame Had to Reshoot One Scene To Get Every Character Their ‘Hero Shot’
The Russo brothers went to extreme lengths to make sure that each character was given screen time and space to perform in the film. They experimented with one particular scene in the film — the portal entry scene during the final battle. Initially, they shot all portals opening simultaneously. However, the directors felt the need for a reshoot after the scene didn’t have a visual and emotional impact.
Stephen McFeely shared that Joe and Anthony Russo’s decision to reshoot the scene was on point. While he liked the first shot too, he explained that every hero didn’t get their moment in the initial version, which they rectified with the reshoot. According to MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, McFeely shared:
The first time, it was quicker. It was very powerful, and I would say exciting, like, ‘Holy crap, they’re back! And the music was at a 10 early, and you zipped around. I liked it a lot, but Joe and Anthony were absolutely right to reshoot it, because everybody didn’t get their hero shot.
The film went on to become one of the biggest phenomenons in Hollywood, thanks to the careful planning of the directors and the entire crew. Avengers: Endgame and other MCU movies are now available for streaming on Disney+.
The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios are now available for purchase on Amazon.
