Endgame: A Year On & 10 Things I would change because I can’t resist trying

Source: Artlover67/Deviant Art

Avengers: Endgame is without doubt one of the biggest and most talked about films of all time. Famously grossing the most money for a movie ever and functioning as the epic climax to 12 years of the MCU in the making. It’s not just intricate, but a well thought out film that is tough to imagine could have been pulled off any better.

Having said that, after a year of thinking, reminiscing and rewatching, there are several plot threads and story choices that I would have chosen to do slightly differently. Now that’s not to take away from the brilliance of the film, after all I can only speculate on such a playful and intricate scale because the film was so well crafted to begin with. However, with so many superheroes, so many protagonists we’ve come to know and love, all fighting for screen time as well as saving the galaxy, you’re always bound to miss a few things. And, of course, I have suggestions, because I just can’t resist adding my own ideas.

That said, here are a few minor-ish changes I would have made in Avengers: Endgame:

1. The End Battle Needs to be an Emotional Rollercoaster: As it stands it’s fair to say the end battle, once the whole avengers team shows up, is somewhat one sided. Sure, Thanos nearly snaps the gauntlet in the end, but the fight that takes place before is epic mostly because there are so many heroes on the field, not because any of them actually have to struggle in order to win. Indeed, no hero dies (Ironman exception) or even really gets wounded from the fight, with the closest moment coming when Thanos ‘rains fire’. Unfortunately, it descends a little too much into another battle with a disposable CGI army, which is a shame compared to the hardship and efforts taken in the previous film to stop Thanos: Tony is stabbed, Vision is killed and he even throws a moon at them creating some cool characters saving moments. Considering this could have been a Helms Deep style tense conclusion — where the victor is always in doubt because both sides have mini victories and defeats — it feels like the culmination of 12 years wasn’t quite as desperate and dramatic as it deserved.
   The greatest example here is Thanos’ Children, who could have had insanely cool fights with some, if not several, of the Avengers, were hard done by. They spent a good time of Infinity War elevating their powers, Ebony Maw (the object wielding Voldemort look alike) in particular, and then don’t really have them paid off by making the avengers struggle for their victory on the final battlefield. But what you could do is…
2. Give one of Thanos’s Children Magic powers: Imagine this, the battle is raging and the avengers are doing well, but then some magical force blasts them back and we see Proxima Midnight, complete with staff, unleashing her magical powers. Oh no, who we gunna call? Enter, Doctor Strange. I mean, he’s not doing anything else, like holding up water like a magical damn service for the entirety of the fight anyway…that would be stupid. And then we get an epic showdown of Magic vs Magic on a scale we haven’t seen before. Tell me that wouldn’t be awesome to witness! Up to now we’ve only seen a portion of what Strange can do, but seeing a magical duel play out while the greater battle rages around them, would fit perfectly into the epic-ness of Endgame. Another one of these battles should be…
3. Captain Marvel Vs Ebony Maw: As stated, Maw is drastically underused in the final battle and could have been a great foil for the overly powerful Captain Marvel, as her powers would have been virtually useless (something she’s obviously not used to) against someone who can move her with his mind. She then has to be creative in order to win and even learns something new about herself, leading to an interesting character moment, for the otherwise, a-little-too invisible Marvel. Also, having her accidentally injure another avenger (Rhody or Rocket, them being the only other characters she’s had interactions with…) in her quest to defeat Maw would perhaps show her and us the darker side of being so powerful. After all, if Superman has to be constantly careful he doesn’t break the world around him, then surely someone as powerful as Cap Marvel needs to learn to be too.
4. Black Widow’s death must mean more: While, in general, I will praise the Marvel universe for its use of humour, particularly in the Avengers films, it’s definitely been said that they do suffer from an over abundance of pathos: meaning they undercut tension with jokes. You can forgive a lot of this comedy, because the MCU doesn’t take itself too seriously and these moments are, for the most part, genuinely funny. However, when Black Widow dies, you need to stop all jokes for the rest of the film! The audience needs to be shown and told that her death means a lot and joking is no longer something anyone wants to do. Their actions now have consequences. For the first time ever in the MCU, the Avengers are taking everything seriously. This will increase the tension in the final fight and give her death the meaning it deserves. Speaking of giving characters the moments they deserve…
5. The Ronin storyline must be more impactful: When fans heard Hawkeye would be embodying his Ronin persona having missed the entirety of Infinity War, they were excited. The chance to see a grittier, darker and certainly more vicious arrow wielding Hawkeye was something that would have brought new depth to the character, especially in his interactions with the surviving Avengers. However, his arc and presence in this film take a very large backseat. In one short scene we see him killing people. In the next, all is forgiven and he’s joking along with rest. It’s a shame really because an arc from Hawkeye, where he struggles for redemption after we see him doing some truly horrible things would bring an extra element of tragedy and meaning to the character. All of which could build to…
6. Clint dies instead of Nat: This is contentious as he does have a family and wait a minute, not two points ago you said Nat’s death should mean more! Which is true. But if Clint was to die in her place then the same level of seriousness needs to be given to his character as well. Clint’s arc in this one, his redemption from becoming a truly jaded and morally compromised figure would have so much more meaning if he sacrificed himself because he felt like he wasn’t worthy to see his family, even if they did come back. Culminating in an emotional confession like: ‘How could I look them in the eye, knowing what I’ve done.’ He can still tussle with Nat (perhaps a cinematic representation of the writers room squabble over who could/should have died), but in the end overcomes her. This way we get to keep Nat, who has more history with the rest of the Avengers anyway, and as a bonus long-term set up and payoff — and secret semi-motivation for — Clint’s death would give his daughter bitter determination, not too mention a chip on her arrow wielding shoulder, when she enters the MCU later as the new Hawkeye (cue gritty TV show). Now that’s something I would love to see!
7. Hulk’s Resolution: Oh, Big guy. You started so promisingly. But ever since Whedon exited the MCU, something just hasn’t rung true about the Hulk and Bruce Banner’s rather tumultuous storyline. Dropped were his more interesting story arcs; with Natasha; his disfigured Hulk face; that time he went red Hulk; and with Tony as a mad Ultron-creating scientist, in favour of the joking and ill-treated support character he’s relegated to thereafter, the culmination of which is the Professor Hulk alter-ego. But Endgame should have been the chance to fix this. To reveal that what Bruce has been doing all this time is avoiding the true problem. The payoff then, to having him run and hide for so many years is not to amalgamate his two faces, but to have him confront them, realising that he must learn to embrace the anger and the Hulk like never before and finally unleash his true potential and rage as the Incredible Hulk we all know and love. This would allow him to complete the line that started his journey from someone whose secret is he’s ‘always angry,’ to one who has learnt, ‘but that doesn’t mean I have to be out of control.’ He then proceeds to SMASH everything in his path! The difference being he’s doing it by choice now, perhaps able to switch between his aligned forms with some degree of will and get revenge on a Thanos who kicked his ass previously. This would give much needed closure on the character and have his send off as Hulk, totally worth it!
8. Cap’s new storyline: Captain America is my favourite Avenger: his man out of time, yet still fighting the hard battles story is one of the most compelling in the marvel universe. Yet, in Infinity War, he shows up, fights a little and that’s it…Okay well the director’s said that he would feature more prominently in Endgame, so perhaps he was sidelined as a set up for this movie…Nope, not even close. The issue is, of the big three, Cap didn’t have much to do in these films and except for his awesome hammer wielding reveal in the finale, his emotional arc is rounded off finding a new life with Peggy. Which was nice, but I think it could have been so much more! The idea of sidelining Cap in Infinity War pays off particularly well in Endgame if Cap is struggling a lot more with ramifications of losing, of the loss of so many he couldn’t save. One idea would be that he runs an orphanage now, looking after the children who lost their parents in the blip and on a daily basis has to deal with those children’s pain: a constant reminder of his failure. Something like this would drive him to truly do whatever it takes to get those parents and everyone else back; not to mention make for some cool interactions and perhaps even leave behind a legacy of Captain America on the world that goes beyond saving it from evil, and into nurturing the future. So, how would this translate to the plot?
9. Cap and the Soul Stone Payoff: One of the biggest pieces of speculation in the build up to Endgame was how the Avengers would get everyone back. One popular theory posited that the people snapped out of existence were in fact trapped in the soul stone. To go along with this, we never actually found out what the soul stone does. It could be just a stone, it could be a way to see your dead loved ones, or it could even hold an undefinable power over all the other stones that requires a ‘worthy’ person to use. Hm, now who do we know that’s truly worthy?
   Dramatic Captain America entrance. The payoff idea could be to have Cap, with his finger, touch the soul stone attached to Thanos’ gauntlet when they fight in Infinity War. In so doing, Thanos realises something is wrong, but doesn’t know what, hence his straining, bemused look — which he does for some unknown reason (trailers) in the film. However, because Cap’s moral compass has been earned over so many films, he is able to use the stone like no other and is transported to its own realm. There, he meets Peggy, who gives him confusing information that will only make sense in the end battle. We as the audience don’t learn of this until Endgame when Cap finally figures it out queuing an emotional flashback leading to…
10. Cap sacrifices himself as well. Ouch! Divisive, I know. Okay, hear me out though. I know Cap’s ending was the life he finally deserved with one whom he could never let go. But for me, Cap has always been about more than just what he wants. He’s the ultimate soldier, because he will always sacrifice what he wants for what he knows everyone else needs. So, I think it would make sense that Cap and Tony both die sacrificing themselves at the climax of what is essentially their Avengers films. With the knowledge from Strange and the Soul Stone, both Cap and Tony look at each other and realise they need the other in order to use the stones to save the world. After all they can only be wielded by beings of extraordinary ability: The Guardians coming together to possess the power stone would be a secret set up for this moment too. So, it would take both Cap and Ironman together at last to properly wield the stones. Their friendship would then be cathartically healed after the damage done in Civil War and provide a satisfying exit for the two most influential members of the Avengers. Ironman gets the send off he deserves and perhaps it’s teased that Cap is able to attain his happily ever after in the soul stone with Peggy, the end dance scene remaining as a sort of a dream sequence ending.

Source: Cinemacomics

Now I don’t pretend to know if all of these plot points would come together as smoothly as I can only hope I’ve conveyed them above, but cathartically speaking this may help to make perhaps the most epic movie of all time, just that little bit more so. Feel free to yell at how outrageous these are and let me know where you think I went wrong.