After
Avengers: Endgame jumps five years into the future, we catch up with a Thor who is now a completely different to the God of Thunder we've spent the past eight years with. Drunk and overweight, he looks more like Odin than his usual ripped self, and this boils down to the fact that he failed to stop Thanos before the Mad Titan wiped out trillions of lives.
Now, the Russo Brothers have shed some light on their decision to take Thor down this route, and it sounds like this change in his physical appearance could end up being permanent.
"No, he’s broken and that’s who he is moving forward," Joe Russo explains. "How is everyone processing their grief? We wanted them all to process it in very different ways. And Thor is an exceedingly tragic character who was built from the time he was a boy to be a king. What is the distance that a character like that can travel, a god? Somebody, especially, who looks like Chris Hemsworth?"
"Even though there’s a lot of fun to be had in the movie with his physical condition, it’s not a gag," Anthony adds. "It’s a manifestation of where he is on a character level, and we think it’s one of the most relatable aspects of him. I mean, it’s a very common sort of response to depression and pain."
"What would happen if that character became extremely angry and started to punish himself and didn’t care anymore?" Joe says. "What would happen to him? He’s an alcoholic now, he doesn’t care about anything. He doesn’t care about himself. That’s the reason why we didn’t end up turning him back," Anthony explains. "It’s an experience that stays with him. He may have made some repair in this movie and made progress, but that experience that brought him to that physical condition is still with him, and it’s a longer road beyond that. We don’t know what that road beyond that is for him."
It seems highly likely that Thor will next appear in
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as we now know the plan is for that to start shooting next year. What that means for
Thor 4 isn't entirely clear, but the Asgardians of the Galaxy has a nice ring to it and James Gunn will likely have a lot of fun with the hero.
Hit the "View List" button below for a rundown of the final battle's best moments!
"I Knew It!"
In a scene vastly more epic than when we first saw Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman together on screen (sorry), Marvel's Trinity - Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor - all take the fight to Thanos and quickly get their butts handed to them.
However, just as the Mad Titan is about to plunge Stormbreaker into the God of Thunder's chest (proving that you don't have to be worthy to hold that hammer/axe), he's taken down by Mjolnir...which is being wielded by Steve Rogers! A triumphant Thor laughs, "I knew it!" before Captain America beats Thanos down and proves that he is indeed worthy.
It's an amazing scene, and Cap using both his shield and the hammer to take down Thanos while also summoning lightning is quite possibly one of the coolest MCU moments to date.
The Shield Is Shattered
It doesn't happen exactly the way it did in
Infinity Gauntlet, but Thanos shatters Captain America's shield using his sword and this does a great job of emphasising just how powerful the villain is, even without the Infinity Stones in his possession.
Cap's shield has been a staple since day one and for a villain to come along and destroy it like this just shows how under threat Earth's Mightiest Heroes are at this point. However, this leads to something even more awesome during the battle...
Steve Rogers Stares Down Thanos' Army
Beaten down and barely able to stand, Captain America is the last hero left standing as Thanos vows to destroy not just Earth but the entire universe as he remakes it in his horrifying image.
As the Mad Titan stands there with thousands of Chitauri, Outriders, unknown monstrous aliens, and his Black Order, Steve Rogers is ready to face-down an army and, well, it's safe to assume he can do this all day! This is an amazing scene which shows that Captain America really will do whatever it takes to stop Thanos, and the imagery used is breathtaking.
The same could be said for a moment later in the film, when Steve stands there with his shield and Mjolnir in his hands as Captain Marvel smashes through the Mad Titan's ship.
"AVENGERS...Assemble!"
Seconds later, Captain America hears The Falcon's voice and it's then that all of the dusted heroes return from the dead and arrive at the destroyed Avengers Compound ready to go to war.
As the music swells, we see nearly every hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ready for a fight, and if that wasn't amazing enough, Steve then shouts "Avengers!" before adding "Assemble!" This has been a moment seven years in the making and it's fair to say that if Marvel Studios was saving that catchphrase, they most definitely chose the right movie and sequence.
If this didn't give you chills and make you want to cheer, you might be dead inside.
Scarlet Witch's Revenge
This is somewhat lessened by the fact the 2014 version of Thanos doesn't know who the Scarlet Witch is or what he did to her, but Wanda getting some measure of revenge on the Mad Titan after he coldly murdered The Vision is definitely satisfying and it's great to see just how powerful she actually is.
The fact the Russos found time for a character moment like this says a lot about them as filmmakers.
Captain Marvel Returns
Captain Marvel's role in
Avengers: Endgame is actually relatively minor, but that's probably because she's so overpowered, that having her stick around would have made things far too easy for Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Regardless, just as things are looking bleak during the final battle as Thanos "rains fire" down on the heroes, Carol Danvers returns to Earth and makes one hell of an impact, proving why she's deserving of being the new face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe now that Robert Downey Jr.'s stint as Tony Stark/Iron Man has reached its end.
Running The Gauntlet
Literally!
With Thanos in hot pursuit, a number of heroes (including Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel) are all forced to take the Infinity Gauntlet and keep it on the move, which leads to some brilliant moments, including the wall-crawler's first meeting with Carol Danvers.
Throw in the fact that this sequence includes Giant-Man causing chaos on the battlefield and an emotional reunion between Peter Parker and Tony Stark, and this really couldn't have been any better.
A-Force
An argument could definitely be made that this feels somewhat forced and on the nose, but it won't stop fans from appreciating it and being excited about what it might mean.
Just as Thanos gains the upper hand, he finds himself surrounded by the Marvel Cinematic Universe's female superheroes and they quickly take the fight to the formidable villain and leave him reeling. Whether this leads to an A-Force movie is impossible to say, but they would be crazy not to at least consider one based on how well this brief moment in the battle works.
Another great moment follows when Valkyrie rides into battle on her flying horse while Spider-Man hitches a ride.
The Headbutt
This is so cool. As Thanos wrestles with Carol Danvers for control of the Infinity Gauntlet, he headbutts the hero and...well, absolutely nothing happens.
Bearing in mind that he easily beat down Thor (a God), we can now safely say that Captain Marvel really is the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most powerful superhero. It goes without saying that this complicates things moving forward as she could easily defeat anyone The Avengers face off with, so perhaps Marvel Studios will keep her adventures off-planet.
Oh, and her new Mar-Vell inspired costume and haircut? Totally badass.
"I Am Iron Man"
Iron Man makes the ultimate sacrifice during this battle when he manages to steal away the Infinity Stones from Thanos and snaps his fingers to wipe out The Mad Titan's army
and save the universe.
As he does this, he responds to Thanos' "I am inevitable" line, making it clear that "I am Iron Man," the greatest superhero the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever seen who started it all in 2008.
It's heartbreaking to see Tony Stark die (especially after he got his happy ending with Pepper and Morgan), but it works and is a great way to wrap up his story arc in a manner none of us will forget.
Continue reading below for an in-depth breakdown
of Avengers: Endgame's ending and what comes next!
Why Iron Man Makes The Ultimate Sacrifice
During the epic final battle, Thanos - from 2014 - arrives in the present day looking to get his hands on the Infinity Stones so he can create a new universe which is perfectly balanced and not one that will suffer from the fallout of half its population going missing.
Iron Man manages to wrestle the gauntlet away from him and snaps his fingers to wipe out not just the Mad Titan but also his entire army, a move which saves both his friends and the entire universe. The strain that puts on Tony kills him, and while some fans have questioned why he would basically kill himself, there's actually a very clear explanation.
During the fight, Doctor Strange tells Tony that they are indeed in the one possible future where they manage to win, and that obviously influences the hero's decision to do what he feels he must to set things right and put an end to Thanos once and for all.
Captain America Fixes The Timeline
In order to avoid the creation of a new, alternate timeline, Steve Rogers travels back in time to return the Infinity Stones (and Mjolnir) to their rightful places. He succeeds in doing so but chooses to travel to World War II and find Peggy in order to live a normal life and get his dance.
The Hulk, Bucky, and Falcon are waiting by the time-travel device for Steve to return but then look into the distance and see that an elderly man has appeared on a nearby bench.
As you know, that is a now very elderly Captain America and it turns out that he got married and lived a long, full life with Peggy. The question is, did that chance the timeline in any way? After all, Peggy was one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D., but would the events of
Agent Carter have ever happened if she was living a happy life with Steve?
The New Captain America
In the comic books, Bucky becomes the new Captain America after Steve Rogers' apparent death, but it's The Falcon who takes over the mantle a number of years later when the Star Spangled Avenger has the Super Soldier serum removed from his veins and reverts to being an old man.
That's the direction the Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken things in, as Steve hands over a repaired version of his shield to Sam Wilson and makes it clear that he wants him to take over the mantle.
It makes sense that he would choose Sam over Bucky, and The Falcon coming to grips with his new role is bound to be the focus of that Disney+ TV series. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that it will be renamed to
Captain America & Bucky or
Captain America & The Winter Soldier.
Asgardians Of The Galaxy
There have been rumblings of a fourth
Thor movie from Taika Waititi, but it seems as if the God of Thunder will be a little preoccupied with
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 before getting to that. When the movie ends, the past version of Gamora is M.I.A. and Star-Lord's team has a new member who will seemingly bicker with Quill on a constant basis about who the leader is.
That promises to be a lot of fun, as does seeing what James Gunn does with a hero like Thor.
The question is, will the Asgardian keep his new look or return to his usual, ripped self? Marvel Studios could choose to take him in either direction, but now that he's left Valkyrie in charge of New Asgard, it's clear that he wants to head out into the universe and have fun. Of course, that takes him away from The Avengers for a long time as well.
What's Happened To The Time Stone?
One of Doctor Strange's key missions as Sorcerer Supreme is to protect the Time Stone, but that no longer exists. After all, Thanos destroyed all of them so the Eye of Agamotto is no more, and that's bound to have an impact on where things go next for him.
It's also worth noting that Wong was in charge of the Sanctum Sanctorum for the five years Strange was dead and gone, so does that make him the new Sorcerer Supreme or will he happily pass the mantle back to his old friend? There's a lot director Scott Derrickson can do with the character moving forward, and I can easily imagine him struggling to deal with what happened to Tony Stark.
No More Thanos
The Thanos who snapped his fingers at the end of
Avengers: Infinity War is killed off during the first fifteen minutes when Thor cuts off his arm...and then his head.
The 2014 version of the Mad Titan, meanwhile, dies alongside the rest of his army when Iron Man snaps his fingers and turns them all to dust. It's a poetic ending for the villain and one which permanently closes the door on him making another appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That's a shame, but if there's one issue that's plagued the character in the comics, it's the fact that Thanos has been overused in recent years and watered down as a result. His story ending feels right.
There's No Sign Of The Vision
Heading into
Avengers: Endgame, it's fair to say that most of us imagined the android returning as a greyed out shell with no emotions similar to his comic book counterpart in the
West Coast Avengers series. After all, Shuri performed most of that surgery on him, and we know the android will return in that Disney+ series alongside the Scarlet Witch.
Well, there's no sign of him here and it's safe to assume that he's probably spent the past five years in storage somewhere, especially as he doesn't help out during the final battle.
Iron Man has gone, Bruce Banner spent years working on transforming himself into Professor Hulk, and so perhaps it will be Shuri who is responsible - or even Wanda's magic - for bringing Vision back. Then again, the series may just be set after the events of
Captain America: Civil War...
Stature
By travelling back in time, Earth's Mightiest Heroes managed to bring everyone back from the dead, but the past five years still happened and that means those who have returned will find their loved ones five years older and in very different places in their lives.
In Scott Lang's case, his daughter Cassie is now much older than the last time he saw her and that obviously sets the stage for her to become Stature when a third Ant-Man movie rolls around.
That's something new and exciting to explore, and I'm sure that Hank Pym will have plenty to say about Scott using the Quantum Realm to help Earth's Mightiest Heroes travel through time!
An Alternate Timeline?
Time-travel is a confusing concept so apologies in advance if things get a little convoluted now.
When Steve Rogers travelled back in time to live his life with Peggy Carter, he must have created a new timeline because her life would have played out completely differently as a result of his presence there. It is, of course, possible that things didn't work out for them and he married someone else but that's not exactly a happy ending!
Does that mean everything we see playing out from here takes place in a slightly different timeline, or would Peggy have still helped create S.H.I.E.L.D. while Steve lived a quiet life far removed from all of that? Honestly, this might just be a plot hole that never gets addressed.
Then again, it could also be the start of Marvel introducing a Multiverse with many alternate realities!
The New Avengers
By the time
Avengers: Endgame ends, there are plenty of heroes on Earth but no one left to lead The Avengers. Black Widow - who has clearly been running point for the past five years - is dead, Captain Marvel seems more interested in helping other planets, Steve Rogers is an old man, and Thor has joined the Guardians of the Galaxy.
While Marvel Studios is likely going to give the Avengers franchise a rest for the next few years, there's no way it stays gone and that must mean some New Avengers will assemble down the line.
Who they will be remains to be seen, but there are plenty of possibilities and I can definitely imagine Black Panther leading the team from a base on the West Coast. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but with the New Avengers Facility destroyed and Avengers Tower sold, big changes are coming!
There's No Post-Credits Scene
If you were hoping for a teaser to shed some light on
Spider-Man: Far From Home,
Black Widow, or
The Eternals, guess again. The latter two haven't even started shooting, while the wall-crawler gets an appropriate tease for what comes next when he's reunited with his old pal Ned.
While it's shocking for a Marvel Studios movie to not have a post-credits scene, it seems Endgame chose to forgo one because this is supposed to be an ending, not one big tease for the future. Despite that, there are still some big hints (as you've seen throughout this post) and Phase 4 is going to be quite something...