AVENGERS: ENDGAME - 20 Major New Details We Learned From The Movie's Director's Commentary

Avengers: Endgame is now available to purchase on digital platforms, and we've take a deep dive into the movie's audio commentary in order to bring you twenty of the biggest details. Check it out...

By JoshWilding - Jul 31, 2019 07:07 AM EST

Filed Under: Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame is not only the biggest superhero movie of all-time, but arguably the best as well. Now, the Marvel Studios epic is available on digital platforms and one of the most exciting things about that is the inclusion of an audio commentary from directors Joe and Anthony Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

Now, we've listened to that in order to bring you guys an in-depth look at all the biggest reveals from the filmmakers, including news on apparent plot holes, previously unseen Easter Eggs, major story reveals, and a whole lot more.

It's well worth checking out for yourselves, as there's a lot more to it than just what we've listed here. If you're curious about some of the biggest new details, though, you'll find almost all of them right here.

So, to check out this breakdown in its entirety, simply hit the "View List" button down below!

How Captain Marvel Found The Guardians' Ship

Captain Marvel met Earth's Mightiest Heroes at the end of her solo movie, but we don't know what happened between then and the moment she flew into outer space to rescue Tony Stark.

Well, according to the Russos, she was brought up to speed with what was going on off screen and there was some sort of homing beacon on the ship that Carol was able to use in order to track Iron Man down. That addresses what some fans have claimed is a plot hole since this past April.

The Russo Brothers' Favourite Easter Egg

Now that we can watch Avengers: Endgame at home, we're bound to start finding Easter Eggs we missed the first time around. One of those has now been revealed by the Russos, and they say that it's their favourite. It can be seen when the team is sitting around a table and The Hulk is snacking on Ben & Jerry's "Hunka Hulka Burnin' Fudge."

As you may recall, Doctor Strange and Tony Stark discussed ice-cream flavors in Avengers: Infinity War when we learned that Iron Man also had a flavour named after him: "Stark Raving Hazelnuts."

What's The Deal With The Red Skull?

Believe it or not, the movie's writers and directors seem to be unable to agree on what happened to the Red Skull once the Soul Stone was taken from Vormir. Confirming that Captain America would have had to have bumped into his old foe, the filmmakers discussed whether the Skull would have been freed from his bonds or if the Stone returning would have then pulled him back.

The Team Suits Are Entirely CG

During the scene where Hawkeye travels back in time to find out whether the time-travel tech actually works, we get to see one of those awesome "Team Suits" in action for the first time.

As that sequence takes place, Joe Russo confirms that "None of this suit exists" and confirms that they're all brought to life solely with visual effects rather than practical costumes.

How Thanos Travelled Through Time

If you've been wondering about how Thanos managed to travel through time in order to confront Earth's Mightiest Heroes, there is actually an explanation. According to the filmmakers, the Mad Titan and Ebony Maw managed to reverse engineer the Pym Particles from Nebula's suit in order to shrink their ship and make their way to the present day. As explanations go, that's not too bad.

Nebula Doesn't Know How Gamora Died

Interestingly, while Nebula may have figured out on Titan that her sister Gamora was killed by their "father," McFeely explains that she wouldn't know exactly how that ended up happening.

"No one knows other than anybody who was there," the writer reveals. Instead, Nebula "just knows her sister didn't come back, and he left with the stone." Sadly, her body is likely still there.

Robert Redford's Final Role

Robert Redford announced quite some time ago that he was retiring from acting, so fans were suprised when the 82 year old actor appeared in Avengers: Endgame.

According to Markus, Redford himself said that it would be his last big screen appearance, so that makes this Marvel Studios movie even more historic given what a legendary actor he is.

A Surprisingly "Controversial" Line

Marvel Studios always stays in the PG-13 realm, hence why we've never heard an F-Bomb in the MCU. However, according to Joe, "probably the most controversial joke in the whole movie" comes when Ant-Man praises Captain America for having "America's Ass."

He adds that the line was "hotly debated," and that it was even more controversial when Steve said it to his past self.

Smart Hulk's Scrapped Debut

When Avengers: Infinity War was released, we saw toys featuring The Hulk bursting out of the Hulkbuster armour. That moment never came in the movie, and McFeely confirms that it was a scene originally meant to take place in the 2018 release before it was ultimately cut because there wasn't space for it.

"He was fighting in Wakanda," McFeely says. "The whole arc of the story was Banner and Hulk were not getting along. Hulk wouldn't come out to help him. And at his hour of greatest need, they make some sort of compromise, and Smart Hulk rips out of the armor and beats the crap out of Cull Obsidian and destroys him."

"It was pretty clear that the movie could not handle this weird success," he continues. "The movie needed to just stay in its succession of losses in the third act, which meant some hustling on the part of VFX late in the game."

Tony Stark's Gaunt Appearance

In order to make Tony Stark look so gaunt at the start of the film, VFX work was needed to change Robert Downey Jr.'s appearance. "Our VFX team did an exceptional job taking some weight off of him and making him look like he is on death's door," Joe reveals. "And the intent here was to make you believe, if momentarily, that we may actually kill Tony Stark at the start of the film."

Joe went on to say that Tony lecturing Captain America about everything that had happened between them was a highlight for him. "The moment here is one of my favorite acting moments of the movie. This is their essential conflict, and Tony can't get past it."

Why Hawkeye Was Cut From Avengers: Infinity War

We've heard this in the past, but it's confirmed during the movie's Director's Commentary that Hawkeye's scene with his daughter was originally going to be included in Avengers: Infinity War.

However, the Russos say they found it "too disorientating" to cut from Thanos' snap to what's going on with Clint Barton's family and notes that "We're already cutting between a lot of people at that point in the film" so a random scene with the archer might have been too much for audiences.

When The "I Am Iron Man" Scene Was Shot

We know that Robert Downey Jr.'s final scene was the last one he filmed, but it was also the last shot of the entire movie.

According to Joe and Anthony, it was filmed during reshoots back in January at Hollywood's Raleigh Studios, a location right by where the actor did his first screentest for the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Awesome, eh?

A Different Take On Captain Marvel's Introduction

We mentioned at the start of this post how Captain Marvel was able to track down Tony Stark and Nebula, but her introduction in the movie was originally going to play out much differently.

It would have taken place when she returned to Earth with the ship rather than in outer space. "We felt like it was not as successful of a reveal. We just didn't like the transition," Joe explains before Markus adds: "[The] idea will be that there'd be orange light on Tony's face. He'd see something. The audience wouldn't see it, and then only would you reveal what happened there."

A Thor And Korg Sitcom?

One of the movie's best moments comes when we catch up with Thor and find out that he's been living in New Asgard with Korg and Miek. Joe compares the entire thing to "a sublime BBC comedy" and jokes that he'd love to see seven seasons of this as a TV show. "I'm also very fond of the fact that the magical weapon he took the entire last movie to get a hold of is now a bottle opener."

How Iron Man Removed The Stones From The Gauntlet

There's been a lot of discussion about how Iron Man was able to remove the Infinity Stones from the Gauntlet Thanos was wearing, as it did seem a little convenient that the hero had somehow created that tech. Well, the filmmakers elaborated on that by explaining that Tony used nano tech in both his suit and the Gauntlet he created so that they would be able to talk to each other.

The Rat That Saved The Universe

In movies, a lot of big moments happen because of a coincidence and that's exactly how Scott Lang is brought back to the present day when a rat steps on the control panel in his van.

"Now, we have a rule in writing that, you know, sort of coincidences," McFeely explained. "You're sort of allowed them in act one. A coincidence late in the movie is perhaps lazy. I'm delighted that a rat has saved the universe." As coincidences go, it's fair to say that it was a pretty good one.

1970s Peggy Carter Nearly Didn't Make The Cut

During those scenes set in the 1970s, Steve Rogers finds himself in Peggy Carter's office and watches her from afar. However, that scene wasn't included in earlier versions of the movie.

"Our first draft did not have this, and it would have been a shame," confirms McFeely. "It's really lovely. Just the structure of the scene. The production design, setting up this office in such a way that he can be in shadow and she can be in light." Joe adds, "And that performance from [Chris] Evans, the longing on his face without a single line of dialogue, you understand how important she is to him and how much he misses her." It also reminded fans about their relationship.

How Thanos Was Able To Destroy Captain America's Shield

In the comic books, Thanos manages to destroy Captain America's shield with his bare hands. While his big screen counterpart is equally as powerful, Avengers: Endgame takes things in a different direction by having the villain use his sword.

Apparently, while Vibranium is the strongest metal on Earth, whatever Thanos' sword is made of is stronger (and it could be that Eitri created it).

A Key Moment At The End Of The Movie

Here's something you probably didn't notice: at the end of the movie when Captain America and Peggy Carter finally get their dance, the door to her house is open. That's because this scene takes place minutes after he arrives at her front door, which obvioulsy suggests they didn't want to waste any time after being reunited.

It's a small touch, but one that shows how great the Russo Brothers are.

Captain America's Severed Head

We've been hearing a lot about a scrapped sequence featuring Captain America's severed head, and that's elaborated on during this Director's Commentary. "There was another version where Thanos opened up a large portal on the battlefield where it became evident that in his own time frame, he had come to Earth," Markus explains.

"And he walked up to them [present day Avengers] and tossed 2012 Captain America's head on the floor. It seemed like it was never gonna make it, but it was. For a movie that began with essentially Thanos' head on the floor, it was a shocking reversal." That definitely would have been quite something, but wouldn't Thor's head have been more fitting?

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59 Comments

1 2

GhostDog - 7/31/2019, 7:33 AM

"The Team Suits Are Entirely CG"

Damn that's some good CGI

santoanderson - 7/31/2019, 7:54 AM

@BlackBeltJones - The only thing about those suits that bothered me were the helmets. If I had a motorcycle helmet suddenly appear over my head, I would react to it. I’d flinch. My eyes would at least blink.

But in the movie, when those magic nano-helmets appear, and envelope the Avengers’ heads, there’s no reaction. I get the impression that they filmed those shots without thinking about the helmets,

GhostDog - 7/31/2019, 8:11 AM

@santoanderson - I can't say I particularity like suits being nanites but it was needed for the sake of the story and mission.

I guess we can head-canon it and say they tried them all on before the mission; got comfortable.

mastakilla39 - 7/31/2019, 7:37 AM

WTF, Captain Marvel is stronger than Thor? Man this feels too feminist now. I am not ashamed!

L0RDbuckethead - 7/31/2019, 7:52 AM

@mastakilla39 - Oh, Butters is pressin' pickle again.

Skrull - 7/31/2019, 3:56 PM

@mastakilla39 - Those tiny little dicks are appropriate to this post.

mastakilla39 - 7/31/2019, 8:35 PM

@Skrull - Yeah cuz everyone is a tiny little dick if they thought endgame was flawless

GhostDog - 7/31/2019, 7:39 AM

"Well, the filmmakers elaborated on that by explaining that Tony used nano tech in both his suit and the Gauntlet he created so that they would be able to talk to each other."'

I noticed how the glove was shifting to put the stones into the place and it always looked like Tony used the nanites to remove the stones, when he yanked the gaunlet off of Thanos, and then using the nanites placed that dummy glove on Thanos' hand so he thought he still had the gauntlet.

JonC - 7/31/2019, 8:35 AM

@BlackBeltJones - he yanked the gauntlet off thanos' hand?
i thought it was pretty clear when he engaged thanos hand to hand he had the nanites navigate the stones from glove to glove.

GhostDog - 7/31/2019, 8:47 AM

@JonC - by yanked I mean what you're saying. He went to "yank" it off and whilst pulling on it the nanites navigated from Thanos' glove to his.

OptimusPrimeTime - 7/31/2019, 2:28 PM

@BlackBeltJones -
"he yanked the gauntlet off of Thanos".....

OmegaDaGrodd - 7/31/2019, 7:52 AM

"Confirming that Captain America would have had to have bumped into his old foe, the filmmakers discussed whether the Skull would have been freed from his bonds or if the Stone returning would have then pulled him back."

This is interesting, because this doesn't account for the Prime timeline where Gamora died and the stone was never brought back, meaning that theoretically Red Skull could be running free

"And the intent here was to make you believe, if momentarily, that we may actually kill Tony Stark at the start of the film."

And that shit worked. I thought they really killed dude at the start and I was REAAAALLLY thinking I didn't have a good handle on where this movie was going

regularmovieguy - 7/31/2019, 7:53 AM

“the filmmakers discussed whether the Skull would have been freed from his bonds or if the Stone returning would have then pulled him back.”

Okay... but what did they have to say? This doesn’t tell us the writers or the Russo’s take at all.

Roodi - 7/31/2019, 8:00 AM

I noticed the ending scene just yesterday watching at home. Never noticed the door was opened while watching it theaters(2X). Made sense why Peggy was crying too. He went straight for that dance.

KWilly - 7/31/2019, 8:12 AM

@Roodi - Steve came in like...

Chewtoy - 7/31/2019, 8:08 AM

"And he walked up to them [present day Avengers] and tossed 2012 Captain America's head on the floor. It seemed like it was never gonna make it, but it was. For a movie that began with essentially Thanos' head on the floor, it was a shocking reversal." That definitely would have been quite something but wouldn't Thor's head have been more fitting?”

Cap’s head (wearing the Avengers 1 cowl) is the only one where audiences would instantly know *when* it came from. Anyone else’s would just be confusing.

GhostDog - 7/31/2019, 8:09 AM

How Thanos Was Able To Destroy Captain America's Shield

I always figured that Vibranium is the strongest mineral on Earth, unparalleled by any Earth metal, but just ONE OF the strongest metals in the universe. There's other alien metals that rival it. It was able to take a blow from Thor's hammer, made of Uru, because the lightning created a vibration and it absorbed those. Thanos' sword just sliced the shield and is probably a strong ass metal.

Vigor - 7/31/2019, 3:51 PM

@BlackBeltJones - likely Uru. Forged from material of a dense star. Would make sense how it can cut vibranium.

Their answer here solves one of my only questions

blackandyellow - 7/31/2019, 8:11 AM

Someone needs to explain what "retirement" means to Redford since he just agreed to play President Robert Redford in the Watchmen show.

Origame - 7/31/2019, 12:58 PM

@blackandyellow - robert redford is that old guy who quits, then just spends all his time coming back into the office like nothing happened.

Lanza10 - 7/31/2019, 8:28 AM

People assuming Captain America's Shield is just made out of vibranium makes me sad 🤦🏾‍♂️. Caps shield is mostly made of Adamantium, but hey you can't always get what you want.

JonC - 7/31/2019, 8:37 AM

@Lanza10 - they said in TFA it was vibranium when it was created.

Chewtoy - 7/31/2019, 8:47 AM

@Lanza10 - Adamantium didn’t exist when Cap’s shield was made. Adamantium was invented in Avengers #66 when Myron MacLain came up with it after studying Cap’s shield, but it’s not the same stuff.

Lanza10 - 7/31/2019, 8:53 AM

@Chewtoy - Yeah I know, but they retcon it to be made of a proto alloy that combines adamantium and vibranium. Also, I not sure but the ultimate version is made purely out of adamantium. Just pointing it out.

Lanza10 - 7/31/2019, 8:54 AM

@JonC - Yeah I know that the MCU is pure vibranium, just kinda off sad that I'm used to being a combination of adamantium and vibranium.

Reeds2Much - 7/31/2019, 9:00 AM

@Lanza10 - Caps shield is mostly made of Adamantium

Ultimate Cap's, but that thing got wrecked by Mjolnir. Main Steve has had a couple of adamantium shields, but never for particularly long. The shield is a vibranium steel alloy that is basically a series of accidents.

Lanza10 - 7/31/2019, 9:15 AM

@Reeds2Much - isn't adamantium the strongest metal on the marvel universe? I'm more of a Spider-man fan.

lol found this on wikipedia.

"During one of his experiments to fuse Vibranium with an experimental Steel alloy,[9] MacLain falls asleep and awakens to find that the resulting alloy had set in a tank hatch mold. It was then painted to become Captain America's symbol. MacLain would later attempt to recreate the shield's metal to no avail, his experiments instead eventually yielding the super-metal Adamantium.[citation needed]

Rogers' indestructible shield is more durable than regular Adamantium and is arguably the most indestructible object in the Marvel Universe. The Vibranium grants the shield unusual properties, allowing it to absorb all of the kinetic impact and vibrations from any blows that the shield receives without injuring Rogers in the process. "

Adamantium was an accident 😂

Reeds2Much - 7/31/2019, 9:19 AM

@Lanza10 - Adamantium was an accident

Comics. Spider-Man was accidentally bitten by a radioactive spider. Daredevil was accidentally splashed in the face with radioactive goo. A bat accidentally flew into Bruce Wayne's parlor while he was getting drunk ...

killadeathray - 7/31/2019, 10:04 AM

@Lanza10 - Adamantium belonged to FOX and couldn’t be used in the MCU

Origame - 7/31/2019, 1:04 PM

@Lanza10 - technically adamantium is the strongest metal. You see, adamantium is virtually indestructible because its really hard and tough. Vibranium, while also being hard and tough, is on that indestructible level because it can absorb vibrations. How hard the metal really is is hard to say since anything that hits it loses its kinetic energy before it can do anything to the metal. But considering adamantium is on a similar level just from being really hard, its gotta go to adamantium.