Avengers Endgame released in 2019 to much, MUCH fanfare. How could it not? It is the culminating event for, at the time of its release, over ten years of storytelling. Many comparisons have been made that Endgame is akin to a season finale of a beloved show. However, with the hit-and-miss precedent set in a post-Endgame Marvel Cinematic Universe, a comparison ought to be drawn to a series finale. Regardless, The fourth Avengers film is a marvel (pun intended) in filmmaking, paying off countless set ups, effectively wrapping up character arcs, and of course: easter eggs.
While what constitutes an easter egg is up to interpretation, they mostly are inconsequential nods to either other events in the given canon or a meta reference to something in our world. However, they are not cameos or blatant references. The whole point of an easter egg is that they’re hidden, a sort of non-verbal “if you know, you know.”
However, despite the internet’s incessant news to dissect our beloved movies and shows to point out these easter eggs, there is one that has eluded pop-culture sleuths - yes, even those at New Rockstars, Screen Rant, or any other pop culture authority. For clarity, that is not a shot across the bow at any of them. As a long time subscriber and viewer of their content, I have a tremendous amount of respect for their work and the effort they put in. With that being said, let’s get into the hidden easter egg in Avengers Endgame.
Anthony and Joe Russo were born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1970 and 1971 respectively. The directing duo are responsible for MCU masterpieces like Captain America: Winter Soldier, as well as its sequel Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and of course, Avengers: Endgame. They are also set to return for Avengers: Secret Wars. Their directorial accolades also extend well beyond the MCU, leaving their mark on some of the most influential series in television. Cleveland is also a deserved point of interest. After all, it was the shooting location for almost the entirety of Winter Soldier, as well as the climactic battle in the very first Avengers film. On an industry scale, the city is a prominent shooting location as a stand in for other metropolitan areas deemed too expensive for studios. We’ll circle back to this - back to Endgame.
The Avengers Compound is in ruins after Thanos returns for a final confrontation with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Bruce Banner/Hulk was able to use the Stark Gauntlet to snap back the 50% that were dusted four years ago. Ant-Man, Hulk, Hawkeye, Rhodey, and Rocket Raccoon are all trapped beneath the sinking ruins of the structure. Meanwhile, the three pillars of the MCU - Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor - are duking it out with the Mad Titan. After being used as a human shield against an incoming Mjolnir, Iron Man is cast aside and incapacitated. Thor, wielding both Stormbreaker and Mjolnir, is nearly impaled by his very own battle axe by Thanos. Almost - if it wasn't for Captain America, who is found to be worthy of wielding Mjolnir. Despite an impressive melee, very nearly ending Thanos for good and summoning lighting from the sky and ground, the Star Spangled Avenger is also bested by Thanos. What happens next is something my words couldn’t hope to do any justice, so I’ll let the Avengers Endgame script take it from here:
“Steve stares at Thanos and his army. And even in the face of such overwhelming odds...
THANOS stares, almost sad, as Steve tightens the broken shield on his arm...AND STARTS WALKING TOWARD HIM. One man against thousands. All alone. But just then, Steve’s COM CRACKLES. He strains to hear. The com crackles again. We can make out A MUFFLED VOICE.
MUFFLED VOICE (ON COM): -ap-...-comin-... Steve shakes his head, trying to clear it.
SAM WILSON (O.S.): Cap. On your left.
PULL BACK...TO SEE A PORTAL [IT] FLIES...SAM WILSON.”
Countless other portals open, reintroducing the heroes we thought were lost in the very first snap four years ago in Infinity War
“STEVE TAKES IN HIS REINFORCEMENTS, THEN STARES OUT AT THANOS. PAN ACROSS OUR HEROES AS STEVE CALLS MJOLNIR TO HIS HAND.
STEVE: Avengers...assemble"
And just like that, cinema history was made - the ultimate payoff to the circling shot in the Battle of New York, the cut to the end credits for Avengers: Age of Ultron, and over 10 years of storytelling. With that baggage, it’s not hard to hear Cap’s battle cry referring to not only the heroes on screen, but us in the audience. After being along for the ride for 10 years, longer for those that grew up with the comics, Cap is calling on us as Avengers to assemble with him one last time. So you may be asking, where is the easter egg? Well it lies in the run time. There’s a beautiful wide shot that shows Cap cast in the sunlight as the last one standing before the darkness of Thanos’s army. Just as he starts walking toward Thanos is when we hear Sam crackle over the comms - this is where the Portals scene begins. So when we pause the film we see the runtime at two hours, sixteen minutes. 2-1-6. We refer back to the Russo Brothers’ origins in Northeast Ohio, in Cleveland where the area code is none other than, you guessed it: 2-1-6.
Now is this intentional, likely not, as such a task would involve deliberate setup and careful editing to achieve this. If it was intentional though, not only would it be the most intricate easter egg, but it would also be a touching love letter to their hometown. It would be a heartfelt tribute to the city that facilitated not just so many iconic MCU scenes, but many movies as a whole. As a Cleveland native myself, I opt to believe in the latter.