We Won’t See Another Epic MCU Movie Like ‘Endgame’ in This Decade
Avengers: Endgame was undeniably one of the greatest movie achievements ever accomplished, other than facing criticism merely for being a comic book movie. The story it created and fever pitch marketing involved was notable, something no other studio can probably touch anytime soon.
However, it might have also been a bar even the Marvel Cinematic Universe would have trouble raising. No doubt the studio will try to create another Endgame down the line. What would that look like, though? Fans on social media are analyzing this to the hilt as usual. Some think Marvel can create a movie like Endgame with one hand tied behind their backs. Others think it might take a decade to build trust in new characters.
‘Endgame’ was already the buildup of character development
Twelve years is a long time in a movie franchise. Considering audiences had gotten to know The Avengers (particularly Tony Stark) for a dozen years, no wonder Endgame was such a powerful conclusion. No other movie studio had the luxury to create a similar long arc other than at Warner Brothers with Harry Potter.
The difference here was the MCU gave the character development more time. Now that the MCU is introducing characters at a faster clip, perhaps one could argue it would not take quite as long to create an epic finale movie.
Over on Reddit, the thought is the Disney+ shows could help save more time in creating new depth for characters without having to wait for new movies. Thanks to Marvel willing to go further into complex storytelling (including not being done with time travel), it may also mean a showdown movie in a few years.
Then again, the Endgame experience had a lot of unique things going for it. Star power alone was tremendous if some of them gone now for a long while. When adding in the marketing campaign and timing, it also created a situation Marvel could arguably falter on later.
Will the next ‘Endgame’ movie be ‘Secret Wars’?
Of course, fans are speculating all over what the next Endgame could look like. One fan on Reddit said: “It could be well into the 2030s before we see anything like that again. Marvel will first need to introduce the new characters in the phase, and join them together in multiple different movies for an epic finale”.
Another noted it could end up being a long-awaited adaptation of Secret Wars from the Marvel comic books. Anyone familiar with that series will know it has similarities to Endgame in a celestial villain (The Beyonder) pitting different superhero factions against their most common foes.
In many ways, it looks like a combination of Civil War and Infinity Wars/Endgame, except on a more epic scale. It has the surviving Avengers team joining with X-Men and The Fantastic Four besides, which seems like the path the MCU wants to take next.
With rumors The Fantastic Four and X-Men are being introduced soon, this could be the ultimate result. Still, what about the cast chemistry aspects Endgame had in abundance?
Can future MCU movies have the same star power?
While all possibility still exists Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans will return eventually as Tony Stark and Captain America, no one should expect them for future Avengers movies.
All indications are The Avengers will shift gears with new leadership, lining up with many of the comic book stories. As such, the star power will have to rest on other actors who may (or may not) have the same chemistry as the previous cast.
No matter how much masterful marketing Marvel put into Endgame, it was the cast and story making all the difference. In this regard, maybe another Endgame is not such a cinch, if still likely to make a boatload of money.
Also, thanks to a complex time-travel plot with heart in abundance, where else could Marvel go in challenging audiences? Secret Wars is strictly about a war, unless enough time is established to make audiences care enough when new superheroes inevitably die.
