Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are ahead!
Normally it’s no issue for filmmakers to provide the actors performing in a movie the entire script, but not so with Avengers: Endgame. With the exception of Robert Downey Jr., none of the Endgame stars were given the full script for the latest explosive MCU movie. So when it came time to watch the movie in its entirety, according to Jeremy Renner, they were as surprised about the progression of events as the general audience. As he put it:
We were all just as surprised after seeing the movie. We’re watching it as fans.
Actors appearing in blockbusters are always told by the studios to stay quiet about spoilers, but Marvel wasn’t taking any chances with Avengers: Endgame. In addition giving the standard warnings about not spilling the beans on any big plot details, they also weren’t given full context for the scenes they were performing in. I also suspect Mark Ruffalo wasn’t the only one who was given some dummy scenes to act out.
It probably feels novel for an actor to watch a movie they were in for the first time and not know exactly how events were going to unfold. Judging by Jeremy Renner’s comment to TODAY, it sounds like he and his costars got a kick out of learning all of Avengers: Endgame’s specific beats at the same time as people who weren’t involved with the movie.
No doubt it was hard to for Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo to hide full context for everything that was shot. For instance, with Tony Stark’s funeral, there’s really no way to make that scene play out as if it were a different event. That said, perhaps the scene was filmed differently a few times with the identity of the deceased individual changed each time to ensure that the actors didn’t know with absolute certainty who was dying in Endgame’s climactic conflict.
The First Draft Of Avengers: Endgame Was Originally Very Different
In any case, while Avengers: Endgame isn’t the final entry of Phase 3, it did close out the Infinity Saga, which has been running since Iron Man kicked off the MCU in 2008. The movie marked Jeremy Renner’s fifth appearance as Hawkeye, and one could argue that he got one of the happiest endings in the movie since he was reunited with his wife and kids five years after they were dusted.
While there don’t appear to be any plans for Hawkeye to appear in another Marvel movie in the near future, his time in the MCU might not be done just yet. It was reported earlier this month that Disney+ has a Hawkeye series in development, which will see Clint Barton passing on the superheroic archery mantle to Kate Bishop, who also goes by Hawkeye in the comics.
Be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of Avengers: Endgame and keep checking back for more news about the movie. You can also keep track of what movies are coming out later this year in our 2019 release schedule.
