Avengers: Endgame really had us geeking out all while tugging on our heartstrings for three hours straight. There’s a good reason why the movie is called the culmination of the MCU thus far: it includes a LOT of callbacks to the past movies, even including literal visits as the heroes completed their time heist. There’s perhaps no better way to provide fan service then to reward the audience for seeing all 22 of the other Marvel epics, and that’s just what Endgame does.
What’s especially exciting is how fun it’s going to be to go back to previous MCU movies and find the relevance and new weight some of the scenes hold now that they’ve been used in another context in the satisfying conclusion. So let’s travel back to the beginnings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and see what key scenes we’ll never look at the same again now that Endgame exists.
That Up There… That’s The Endgame
It is crazy to imagine that just a few months ago we were theorizing about Avengers 4 titles, and it ended up being right under our noses in Age of Ultron. The scene has a special significance now because of Tony calling the mysteries in the sky their “endgame,” which he created Ultron at the time to fight off and Captain America saying they can take anything down together. Tony throws the line back at Steve in the beginning of Endgame when he’s distraught about their dire situation, and now every time we see this Ultron scene, it’ll have an extra special connection.
No More Surprises
Among the many memorable scenes in Infinity War, this quick one between Tony and Pepper before the action begins seemed a bit random. Now we know that it was foreshadowing for their future life in Endgame. Tony says he had a dream that they had a child together and named it after her eccentric uncle, Morgan. In Endgame, five years later, that’s exactly where we find the Iron Man couple. The scene may play a little sad for fans now as we see Tony promise his girl that all the “surprises” are over and it’s time for them to settle down, give that we know how it ends.
I Want Another
When we meet back up with Thor in Endgame, we see an unexpected transformation. He’s packed on a lot of weight, he drinks a lot of beer and plays Fortnite with his friends from Ragnarok. How did he let himself go? And why is Thor now the most hilarious Avenger? This early scene of the hero eating breakfast and smashing coffee mugs in demand of “another” shows that this characterization has been made the entire time. He’s prone to being excessive when not in check and he’ll be tested by this in Endgame.
Avengers Take Down Loki in Stark Tower
After seeing Endgame, we’ll always imagine future Cap, Tony and Ant-Man roaming around the 2012 New York battle sequence, attempting to steal the Tesseract. While they said the movie doesn’t go by Back to the Future time travel rules, viewings will certainly start to run together a little bit as we imagine how Endgame built off that original Avengers scene. I don’t know about you, but I always find myself already thinking about how another Marty is backstage at the dance trying to fix up time in Part II whenever I view the first movie.
The Winter Soldier Elevator Scene
Endgame has a great nod to Winter Soldier when some of the team is in the 2012 New York timeline, and Cap is tasked with nabbing the Tesseract. It’s a great moment when he finds himself in an elevator again with some of the same Hydra agents from The Winter Soldier. As an audience, we expect another epic scene to go down, but he instead tricks them by saying “Hail, Hydra.” We’ll always remember how clever and evolved Endgame Cap is during this classic scene now.
Frigga’s Death
Thor: The Dark World may be one of the least favored MCU films, but Endgame actually made it relevant! (Gold stars to the Russos!) During the Time Heist, Thor and Rocket are transported a few moments before the God of Thunder’s mother is murdered. The hero is going through his own grief and guilt about his failure to protect the world from Thanos. He has a sweet moment with her when she gives him a much-needed pep talk, giving the Dark World scene more weight.
Come And Get Your Love
The Guardians of the Galaxy opening will perhaps go down as one of the most iconic and entertaining MCU scenes. Seeing Chris Pratt jam out to “Come And Get Your Love” on cassette as he kicks around some alien creatures is already a lot of fun! After Endgame, we can’t help but think how ridiculous Quill is to onlookers (Rhodey and Nebula) when they come back to that moment in Endgame. He’s never going to live that one down!
Say Something, If You Don’t You’ll Regret it.
Toward the beginning of Civil War, we meet Tony at an MIT presentation where he is showcasing some cool tech that shows the last moment Tony shared with his parents before they were killed. He is clearly regretful that he lost his parents at a time when he didn’t have the healthiest relationship with them, and wished he could buy back some more time with them, particularly his father. Now that we know Tony is able to go back and have a positive conversation with Howard Stark as an adult, the presence of this scene in Civil War is poetic.
Cap Moves Mjolnir
In one of Avengers: Age of Ultron more funs scenes, Thor invites his fellow heroes to take a crack at moving the his hammer. While a majority of them are unsuccessful, Cap is able to squeak it over a bit, resulting in a bit of anxiety from Thor at the time. In Endgame, Cap turns out to be worthy of Mjolnir and swaps weapons with the God of Thunder. This scene is now an origin story for that badass moment.
Doctor Strange Gives Up the Time Stone
Among a few other WTF moments in Infinity War (cough Quill) was the time when Doctor Strange straight up hands the Time Stone over to Thanos in order to save Tony’s life. It was an odd decision at the time, but since he did look into the future possibilities, we knew there was hindsight to it. Audiences will now be able to look at this scene now and see the moment much differently: through Strange’s eyes.
You’re Not The Guy To Make The Sacrifice Play.
Okay… this one stings. Back when Cap and Tony first met in 2012’s Avengers, the two were already pushing each other’s buttons with their different ways of thinking. In one scene, the two get in a heated argument as tension builds about Bruce Banner exploding into the Hulk, and Steve says the above words. Of course, now that we know that Tony makes the ultimate sacrifice by putting on the Infinity Gauntlet and saving the world; he is that guy.
Hogan, Drive. Cheeseburger First.
How fitting is it that one of the last references in Endgame is one of the earliest in the MCU? Back in Iron Man, when Tony arrives home from the treacherous journey that would define him as the hero, the first thing on his list is devouring an American Cheeseburger. In Endgame, Happy Hogan shares a touching moment with Tony’s daughter Morgan about the fast food. So naturally every time we watch this funny note in the 2008 flick, we’ll be crying 3000 tears.
It's time for an MCU rewatch. What classic MCU scenes will you be going back to post-Endgame? Let us know in the comments!
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