Ever since the runtime for Avengers: Endgame leaked, fans have been debating whether or not they’re in favor of such a lengthy movie. The film is reportedly set to be over three hours long, which is easily the longest in Marvel history and rivals the “Ultimate Edition” of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice for longest superhero movie ever.
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the writers of Avengers: Endgame, are confident that the length is just right, though. In a recent interview, they promised that it’s a “lean” three hours.
Moviegoers who drink too much soda may not feel that way halfway through the film, but many other fans will agree with the screenwriters. While it may seem long in theory, any shorter than three hours may feel like a total disappointment. As Markus puts it, “If we told you the entire universe got snapped out and we were gonna wrap it up in a tight 85, you’d have issues.”
McFeely then added onto that, saying:
“Any shorter and it would have felt like we weren’t honoring all the threads and franchises that are feeding into this climax. Twenty-two movies in, not only has the movie earned its length, but people deserve a movie of that substance. I swear to God, it sounds like a paradox to say this, but it’s a lean three hours!”
Trying to pack so many superheroes into one film is always difficult, even if many of them now seem to be gone due to Thanos’ infamous snap. Defeating the godlike villain and trying to rescue many of the fallen is going to take quite a bit of effort on the part of the Avengers. At the very least, the movie will have to explain how the existence of Spider-Man: Far From Home is possible when Peter Parker seemed to have died at the end of Avengers: Infinity War.
Avengers: Endgame needs to satisfy fans’ many questions, and be able to hand the future of the franchise off to the next generation of heroes. So while three hours may seem long on paper, it could be just enough time to resolve many of the cliffhangers left at the end of the last movie.
In the words of McFeely, “It’s exactly as long as it needs to be.” And on April 26th, audiences across the nation will finally find out if he’s right.
