The Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen several changes and developments over the years, which has received mixed responses from fans and critics alike. After all, fans have simply gotten tired of the way Marvel produces movies and shows now. It wasn’t like this a few years back, especially considering how eventful Avengers: Infinity War was. In fact, Marvel faced a major dilemma after the movie’s success.
In 2018, Avengers: Infinity War left a historic mark on pop culture, with its devastating ending and the anticipation it built for the follow-up film Avengers: Endgame. With Thanos winning at the end of the film, fans had to wait one whole year for a proper conclusion to the saga.
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Avengers: Infinity War Left Marvel With A Pressing Issue
Fans eagerly awaited a satisfying conclusion after the ending of Avengers: Infinity War. However, the writers faced a significant challenge in crafting a resolution that didn’t feel repetitive or like a copout. The central problem was how to defeat Thanos without falling into the same narrative structure as Infinity War, which was the Avengers attempting and failing to stop Thanos.
In the audio commentary for Avengers: Endgame[via Slashfilm], writer/producer Stephen McFeely discussed the creative dilemma that writers had to deal with while crafting the storyline for Avengers: Endgame – which was a herculean task.
“What is a two-hour movie, where you’re playing cat and mouse with that guy or trying to get him, or punch him in the face, or steal stones from him? Like, anything he does — even in the comics, which are lovely, he just sort of decides to tie one hand behind his back. You know, that’s how it’s solved there. So, at one point in the room, everyone’s getting real frustrated, ‘What is the story here?'”
Naturally, it is a known fact that Marvel managed to think of a storyline that managed to give a satisfying conclusion to the entire saga up until that point. It brought an end to what fans dub the best era of Marvel and it remains a major part of history now.
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The Writers Found The Best Way To Deal With Their Dilemma
The writers brainstormed to find a solution that went beyond physical confrontation. Executive producer Trinh Tran’s suggestion of killing Thanos early in Avengers: Endgame opened up a whole new direction for the narrative that the film was going to take.
The resulting approach shifted the focus away from defeating Thanos in a traditional sense. Instead, “Endgame” delved into the aftermath of Thanos’ actions, exploring how the characters coped with the new reality he had created. This choice led to a bleak opening act – something that was different from usual MCU movies back then.
“I think Trinh Tran, our executive producer, just said, ‘God, I really wish we could just kill him.’ And we all went, ‘Wait a second. Could you?’ It sent us down this whole road, where we solved the issue in the first, what, 12 minutes?”
By addressing the Thanos problem early on and exploring the consequences of his actions, Avengers: Endgame didn’t end up in the same pitfall as the writers feared and it would go on to define the golden age of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Considering the state of the MCU right now, fans continue to lament its death in quality.
