Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for over a month, garnering incredible critical reviews and making serious money at the box office. But does Marvel Studios’ most massive undertaking break more than just a handful of records? Maybe, as according to a new article on Forbes, Endgame’s massive five-year time jump could be the final nail in Marvel’s commitment to connectivity.
As a culmination of 22 films, the latest Marvel movie pays off like a slot machine, wrapping up years-old storylines for the original six Avengers (mostly). If you’ve seen it – and who hasn’t by now? – then you know the surviving members of the Snap manage to get their hands on all six Infinity Stones and bring those who were killed by Thanos half a decade earlier back to life.
And therein lies the problem. Those who returned from the Snap didn’t come back to their original timeline, but rather five years into the future and they’ve missed a lot. Endgame was stuffed to the brim with story already, so it barely touches upon this fact. The closest it comes is a scene focusing on Scott Lang returning to find his young daughter, Cassie, in her early teens, having grown up for a large chunk of her life believing her father to be dead. It’s barely referenced again, but will surely have repercussions in future Ant-Man films. Knowing Marvel though, it’s just as likely that the series will brush it off with a few quips rather than dedicate time to its consequences.
The same is likely true for next month’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. The formerly deceased Peter Parker is now returning to high school, where it seems most of the first film’s supporting cast of teenagers had fortunately been snapped away, otherwise they’d be finishing up college now. Director Jon Watts has confirmed that the movie will touch upon the five-year discrepancy, including its importance to building a relationship between Spidey and Nick Fury, but it’s clear that Tony Stark’s death will have a greater narrative presence than the actual time jump.
Phase Four of the MCU is just on the horizon, with Black Widow, Shang-Chi, the Eternals, and the Guardians of the Galaxy all receiving their own standalone films and sequels. Whether or not they lean into the repercussions of Avengers: Endgame is yet to be seen, but how they handle it will likely make or break the future of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.