‘Avengers: Endgame’ Writers Finally Confirm Why the OG Avengers Survived the Snap in ‘Infinity War’
Everything worked out for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Endgame, but the snap in Infinity War killed off most of Marvel’s superheroes besides the OG Avengers. Fans have long speculated why Marvel kept the original team together for Endgame. And during a special quarantine watch party, Avengers: Endgame writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus finally revealed the reason the OG Avengers survived Thanos’ snap.
Marvel keeps the original Avengers alive for ‘Avengers: Endgame’
In the final moments of Infinity War, Thanos used the Infinity Gauntlet to wipe out half of life in the universe. This included a good chunk of Marvel’s heroes, such as Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).
While their counterparts were turned to dust, the original six — Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) — survived.
Fans immediately speculated about why Marvel kept the original team alive. The leading theory was the studio wanted to focus on the Phase 1 superheroes, many of whom would not be moving forward after Avengers: Endgame.
Endgame was meant to be a finale of sorts for the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel will soon be launching Phase 4, which will serve as a soft reboot for the entire MCU.
Why did Marvel keep the fan favorites around for ‘Avengers: Endgame’?
It turns out fans were right about why the OG Avengers survived Thanos’ snap in Infinity War. A fan asked Markus and McFeely about the decision during the watch party. And the writers revealed they wanted Avengers: Endgame to be a final ode to the Phase 1 superheroes.
“Were the original Avengers intended to be left alive so that Endgame could be very much a finale and an ode to these original characters?” the fan asked.
“Largely, yes. – CM,” Markus answered.
According to We Got This Covered, the comments echo what Marvel President Kevin Feige shared with Empire Magazine in 2019. Feige revealed they wanted to focus on the MCU’s original six superheroes in Avengers: Endgame, some of whom did not get a lot of screen time in Infinity War.
“People would point out that that Cap wasn’t in Infinity War a whole lot,” Feige said. “And Iron Man didn’t really speak for that last half hour because of what was going on. But those characters, and all of the original six, are very much the focus of Endgame in a very personal and emotional way.”
This is why Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch never shared a Sherlock joke
Another question fans had for the writers was related to Sherlock Holmes. Downey and Cumberbatch have both portrayed the iconic detective in various projects, and fans thought Marvel would poke fun at this fact at some point.
Although the characters shared plenty of screen time, they never slipped in a Sherlock joke. When fans asked the writers why they didn’t include a “no sh*t, Sherlock” quip in the MCU, they replied that it was simply “too meta for us.”
That said, the Russo brothers actually included a Sherlock joke when Tony and Strange first meet. The line, however, was cut prior to filming. But it does show the directors were more open to the idea than the writers.
Does the MCU have multiple Infinity Gauntlets?
Another big mystery related to the Infinity Saga pertains to Thanos’ famed Infinity Gauntlet. Prior to Thanos wearing it in Infinity War, the gauntlet popped up in two previous projects. The first was in a post-credits scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the second was in Thor: Ragnarok.
These two appearances seemingly contradict the Avengers: Endgame story that Thanos forced Eitri (Peter Dinklage) to make the Infinity Gauntlet. Luckily, Markus and McFeely had an explanation for why the MCU has multiple gauntlets floating around.
“I believe there is an existing myth of a gauntlet that could unify the stones. Hence the fake one in Odin’s vault, and Thanos wearing this fashionable ‘practice gauntlet.’ When he needed a real one, he went to Eitri,” the writers noted.
Markus and McFeely did not say why Thanos needed a practice gauntlet, but perhaps he needed to make sure the real one fit.
