Plot
Twenty-three days after Thanos used the Infinity Gauntlet to disintegrate half of all life in the universe,[N 1] Carol Danvers rescues Tony Stark and Nebula from deep space and returns them to Earth, where they reunite with the remaining Avengers—Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Thor, Natasha Romanoff, and James Rhodes—and Rocket. Locating Thanos on an uninhabited planet, they plan to use the Infinity Stones to reverse "the Snap", but Thanos reveals he destroyed the Stones to prevent further use. Enraged, Thor decapitates Thanos.
Five years later, Scott Lang escapes from the quantum realm.[N 2] At the Avengers compound, he explains to Romanoff and Rogers he experienced five hours, not years, while trapped. Theorizing the quantum realm could allow time travel, they ask Stark to help them obtain the Stones from the past to undo Thanos' actions in the present. Stark refuses, thinking about his wife, Pepper Potts, and daughter, Morgan, but relents after musing on the death of Peter Parker. Stark, Rocket and Banner, who has since merged his intelligence with the Hulk's strength, build a time machine. Banner notes changing the past does not affect their present; any changes instead create branched alternate realities. He and Rocket visit the Asgardian refugees' new home in Norway—New Asgard—to recruit Thor, now overweight and drinking heavily, despondent over his failure to stop Thanos. In Tokyo, Romanoff recruits Clint Barton, now a vigilante following Thanos' disintegration of his family.
Banner, Lang, Rogers, and Stark travel to New York City in 2012.[N 3] Banner visits the Sanctum Sanctorum and convinces the Ancient One to give him the Time Stone. At Stark Tower, Rogers retrieves the Mind Stone, but Stark and Lang's attempt to steal the Space Stone fails, allowing 2012 Loki to escape with it. Rogers and Stark travel to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in 1970, where Stark obtains an earlier version of the Space Stone and encounters his father, Howard. Rogers steals Pym Particles from Hank Pym to use in returning to the present, and spies lost love Peggy Carter. Meanwhile, Rocket and Thor travel to Asgard in 2013, extracting the Reality Stone from Jane Foster[N 4] and retrieving Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. Nebula and Rhodes travel to Morag in 2014 and steal the Power Stone before Peter Quill can.[N 5]
Rhodes returns to the present with the Power Stone, but Nebula becomes incapacitated when her cybernetic implants link with those of her past self, allowing 2014 Thanos to learn of his future success and the Avengers' attempts to thwart it. Determined to rebuild the whole universe so no one will remember what he has done, Thanos replaces present-day Nebula with 2014 Nebula. Barton and Romanoff travel to Vormir in 2014, where the Soul Stone's keeper, the Red Skull, reveals it can only be acquired by sacrificing someone they love. Romanoff sacrifices herself, allowing Barton to obtain the Soul Stone.
Reuniting in the present, the Avengers place the Stones into a technological gauntlet Stark, Banner and Rocket have created. Banner, the most resistant to the Stones' gamma radiation, is chosen to wield the gauntlet and reverses the disintegrations. Meanwhile, 2014 Nebula uses the time machine to transport 2014 Thanos and his warship to the present, where he attacks the Avengers' compound looking for the Stones. Present Nebula convinces 2014 Gamora to betray Thanos but is unable to convince 2014 Nebula and is forced to kill her. Confronted by Stark, Thor, and a Mjolnir-wielding Rogers, Thanos outmatches them and summons his army from his warship. Stephen Strange arrives with other sorcerers, the restored Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, the Ravagers, and the armies of Wakanda and Asgard to fight Thanos and his army. Danvers arrives and destroys Thanos' warship, but Thanos overpowers her and seizes the gauntlet. Stark steals the Stones and uses them to disintegrate Thanos and his army, at the cost of his own life.
Following Stark's funeral, Thor appoints Valkyrie as the new ruler of New Asgard and joins the Guardians. Rogers returns the Infinity Stones and Mjolnir to their original timelines and remains in the past to live with Carter. In the present, an elderly Rogers passes his shield and mantle to Sam Wilson.
Cast
- Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man:[4][5]
According to directors Joe and Anthony Russo, Downey was one of the few actors to read the entire screenplay for the film.[6] Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely knew that Stark's death was inevitable both as a "[move] to selflessness" and as an end to the "chapter" Stark started. They felt that his death was earned after granting him "the perfect retirement life," adding, "That's the life he's been striving for... They got married, they had a kid, it was great. It's a good death. It doesn't feel like a tragedy. It feels like a heroic, finished life."[7] Joe Russo explained that Stark "always knew he was going to die because he could never reconcile that notion in himself of not protecting the universe," and added that Stark was the most defiant among the Avengers since "Stark is the most formidable of all of them... because of his heart."[8] The Russos sought Downey's approval for Stark's arc, which they had developed since Captain America: Civil War (2016).[9] - Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America:[10]
Markus described Rogers as someone who is "moving toward some sort of enlightened self-interest." Both he and McFeely knew he was going to get "the dance" he promised Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), with McFeely saying, "He's postponed a life in order to fulfill his duty. That's why I didn't think we were ever going to kill him. Because that's not the arc. The arc is, I finally get to put my shield down because I've earned that."[7] Patrick Gorman provided on-set reference for an elderly Steve Rogers.[11][12] - Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk:[13]
In this film, Banner has managed to balance his two sides with gamma experimentation, enabling him to combine his intelligence with the Hulk's strength and physical stature,[14] based on the "Professor Hulk" comic book identity.[15] Compared to other heroes, who were demotivated by their loss against Thanos, Banner is the only character to remain hopeful, with Anthony Russo explaining, "Banner is the sole character who is actually forging into a bright new future, trying to build something totally new and find something completely new... Banner is the one who is most heroic in a sense that he maintains his will to keep trying."[16] This concludes a character arc that was established in Thor: Ragnarok and continued in Avengers: Infinity War.[17] - Chris Hemsworth as Thor:[10]
Thor now wields a mystical axe known as Stormbreaker, after the destruction of his hammer, Mjolnir, in Thor: Ragnarok.[18] In the film, Thor has become an overweight, drunken ruler of Asgard's refugees in Tønsberg, Norway. Referencing this drastic character change, Hemsworth said, "I just had an opinion. I wanted to do something different this time. Each film I've wanted to, in particular, the last couple, and they were on board," and added, "We shot for many hours and days and discussed how far could we push (Thor) and what we could do different."[19] Anthony Russo added, "Even though there's a lot of fun to be had in the movie with his physical condition, it's not a gag. 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."[20] Thor's story was his favorite arc, saying, "Part of Chris' magic as a comedic actor is his dedication to the depth of the character on a very earnest level... It's so devious and subversive when comedy is coming from a place of complete commitment and emotional complexity."[21] Hemsworth underwent around three hours of hair and makeup for the transformation, which also required him to wear a large silicone prosthetic suit; he called himself "Lebowski Thor" on set.[22] Initially, Thor was supposed to revert to his "old chiseled self" in the middle of Endgame, but Hemsworth successfully argued in favor of retaining Thor's new physique.[22] - Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow:[23][5]
At the beginning of the film, Romanoff continues to command several teams from around the galaxy in the Avengers headquarters, which Joe Russo explained was stemmed from her inability to move on from their failure to stop Thanos, saying, "she's doing everything she can to try and hold the community together... She's the watcher on the wall still."[24] On the decision for Romanoff to sacrifice herself for Barton to acquire the Soul Stone to bring back everyone, Joe Russo stated that it was part of a larger theme exploring the desire to sacrifice, compared to the desire to protect in Infinity War; he says, "When she gets to that [Soul Stone] scene, I think she understands that the only way to bring the community back is for her to sacrifice herself."[24] McFeely stated, "Her journey, in our minds, had come to an end if she could get the Avengers back. She comes from such an abusive, terrible, mind-control background, so when she gets to Vormir and she has a chance to get the family back, that's a thing she would trade for."[7] To prepare for the film, Johansson underwent a high-intensity workout regimen, which included plyometrics, Olympic weightlifting and gymnastics, as well as a time-restricted eating diet, all under the supervision of her longtime trainer, Eric Johnson, with whom she had worked since Iron Man 2 (2010), the film which introduced her character.[25] - Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye:[26][27][28]
McFeely described Barton's dark turn as "a good example of people who had much stronger stories after the Snap."[7] The film's cold open, which features the disintegration of Barton's family, was initially supposed to be in Infinity War following Thanos' snap; however, it was moved to Endgame instead, with Markus explaining that it was "going to blunt the brutality of what [Thanos] did."[7] Joe Russo felt it was "a very tragic scene to open the movie with. It's one of the few scenes in the movie that actually makes me tear up when I watch it, because I think about my own family... And then you think about what would happen to you, as a father. You'd become very self-destructive."[16] - Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine:[29]
Cheadle described Rhodes's newfound belonging as an Avenger as "not so much straddling one foot in the military. He's much more on the side of The Avengers than he was prior."[30] This is reflected on Rhodes's more instinctive and realist worldview in the midst of encountering the fantastic, with Cheadle explaining, "He's definitely got some 'what-the-eff-is-happening' [attitude,] more than maybe the rest of them do, given his background. But it's a trial by fire, and he's quickly adapted to what [the threat] is, rather than what he wishes it were."[30] - Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man:[5]
Lang is portrayed by twins Bazlo and Loen LeClair as a baby, by Jackson A. Dunn at age 12, and by Lee Moore at age 89.[31] This was Moore's final film before his death in August 2018.[32] Markus explained that adding Lang helped with implementing time travel into the film, saying, "we had access to him in the second movie, and the fact that he was bringing a whole subset of technology that did have something to do with a different concept of time was like a birthday present."[33] - Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel:[34][35]
Markus stated that Danvers's powers are on a scale that has not previously existed in the MCU and likened her personality to Rogers's, "which is sort of a person who's right and knows they're right and doesn't really want to hear it when you tell them they're wrong".[36] Danvers has little screen time in the film, which McFeely reasoned as "not the story we're trying to tell—it's the original Avengers dealing with loss and coming to a conclusion, and she's the new, fresh blood."[7] Larson filmed her scenes for Endgame before beginning work on her solo film Captain Marvel, which was released first. Captain Marvel directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were present for the filming of her scenes in Endgame and gave Danvers's characterization in the film their blessing.[37] - Karen Gillan as Nebula:[38]
After being previously featured as an antagonist or an anti-hero in previous MCU films, Nebula undergoes a redemption arc in the film where she makes amends for her past actions, including an encounter with a past version of herself, with Gillan adding that she is "staring her former self in the face and it's really clear how far she's come from that angry, bitter and twisted person. She's starting to connect with other people and find some level of forgiveness."[39] Gillan guessed that Nebula would play a prominent role in the film when she realized that Infinity War and Endgame would be adapted from The Infinity Gauntlet, which she had previously read when she was initially cast as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).[39] Gillan shared several scenes with Downey in the film's opening, and the two improvised most of their scenes together.[39] - Danai Gurira as Okoye[40]
- Benedict Wong as Wong
- Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan[41]
- Bradley Cooper as Rocket:[42]
Sean Gunn was again the stand-in for Rocket during filming, with his acting and expressions serving as motion reference for the character.[43] Rocket's appearance in the film continues a story arc that was established by Guardians of the Galaxy writer-director and Endgame executive producer James Gunn in the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films, was continued in Infinity War and Endgame, and will conclude in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.[44] - Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts:[41] Potts wears a weaponized powered exosuit of armor made for her by Stark, based on the Rescue armor.[45][46] Paltrow said this would be her final major appearance in the MCU.[47]
- Josh Brolin as Thanos:[48][49]
Joe Russo said that after Thanos was successful in Avengers: Infinity War, he is now "done. He did it. He's retired."[50] Markus and McFeely had difficulty in factoring the older, post-Infinity War, Thanos into the film due to the character already possessing the Infinity Stones, until executive producer Trinh Tran suggested that they kill Thanos in the film's first act.[7] Markus explained that the character's early death "reinforced Thanos' agenda. He was done... it was like, 'If I've got to die, I can die now.'"[7] Thanos has less screen time in Endgame than in Infinity War, where he was considered the main character, as explained by McFeely: "We had to give ourselves permission to backseat the villain a little bit. I don't think anyone in the first half of the movie is going, 'Oh I wish there was a villain'. You're rolling around in the loss and the time heist, and you think it's sort of Avengers against nature." The younger version of Thanos was nicknamed "Warrior Thanos" by the filmmakers.[16] In addition to providing the voice for the character, Brolin performed motion capture on set.[51] Joe Russo was a stand-in for Thanos for some scenes opposite Nebula.[52]
Several actors from Infinity War reprise their roles in Endgame, including Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange,[53] Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther,[54] Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man,[55] Zoe Saldana as Gamora,[56] Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch,[57] Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon,[58] Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier,[59] Tom Hiddleston as Loki,[60] Pom Klementieff as Mantis,[61] Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer,[62] Letitia Wright as Shuri,[63] William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross,[64] Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill,[31] Winston Duke as M'Baku,[65] Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw,[66] Jacob Batalon as Ned,[66] Vin Diesel as Groot,[31] Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord,[57] Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury,[64] Ross Marquand as Red Skull / Stonekeeper,[64] Michael James Shaw as Corvus Glaive,[31] Terry Notary as Cull Obsidian,[31] and Kerry Condon as the voice of Stark's suit A.I. F.R.I.D.A.Y.[67] Monique Ganderton again provides motion capture for Proxima Midnight.[31]
Also reprising their roles from previous MCU films are Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne / Wasp,[68] Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie,[66] Rene Russo as Frigga,[66] John Slattery as Howard Stark,[66] Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One,[66] Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter,[66] Marisa Tomei as May Parker,[66] Taika Waititi as Korg,[66] Angela Bassett as Ramonda,[64] Michael Douglas as Hank Pym,[66][69] Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne,[66] Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton,[66] Maximiliano Hernández as Jasper Sitwell,[66] Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow,[70] Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce,[66] Callan Mulvey as Jack Rollins,[66] and Ty Simpkins as Harley Keener.[66] Sean Gunn reprised his role as Kraglin Obfonteri and was credited for the role,[31] though it is unclear if footage of his appearance was used.[71] Natalie Portman appears as Jane Foster through the use of footage from a Thor: The Dark World (2013) deleted scene, as well as new voice over that Portman recorded for when Foster appears talking in the distance.[72] James D'Arcy reprises his role as Edwin Jarvis from the MCU television series Agent Carter, marking the first time a character introduced in an MCU television series appears in an MCU film.[73]
Additionally, Hiroyuki Sanada portrays Akihiko, a Yakuza boss operating in Tokyo who opposes Barton.[74][75] Alexandra Rabe portrays Morgan Stark, Tony and Pepper's daughter.[76] Katherine Langford was cast as an older Morgan, but her scene was cut from the final film.[77][78] Emma Fuhrmann portrays an older Cassie Lang, Scott's daughter.[79] Avengers co-creator Stan Lee has a posthumous cameo in the film, appearing digitally de-aged as a car driver in 1970; this is his final film appearance.[80] Ken Jeong and Yvette Nicole Brown cameo as a storage facility guard and a S.H.I.E.L.D. employee, respectively.[66] Co-director Joe Russo (credited as Gozie Agbo) has a cameo appearance as a grieving gay man, which is the first time an openly homosexual character has been portrayed in an MCU film.[81] Joe's daughters Ava and Lia portray Barton's daughter Lila and a fan of Hulk, respectively.[82] Thanos creator Jim Starlin also appears as a grieving man.[82] The character Howard the Duck appears in a non-speaking cameo.[83]
