Avengers: Endgame Writers Explain Why They Killed Thanos

It’s been over two weeks since the release of Avengers: Endgame, but some of the scenes still have fans talking, and probably will for a while longer. One such moment in the movie occurred before folks could even finish their nachos, and the film’s writers have recently come forward about it.

The scene in question takes place when the remaining heroes discover, quite early into the movie, which planet Thanos is on. They’d been searching for him following the events of Avengers: Infinity War and an energy surge from deep space leads them to the Mad Titan, where, ultimately, Thor fulfills his promise. He goes for the head and decapitates the villain.

What blew fans away is how brazen, and early on, the scene was. It felt like the movie was already over and the next two and a half hours were going to be awkward as hell. In a recent chat with THR though, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely revealed the moments that led up to the decision to include such an early twist.

“Remember, he is omnipotent. He is omniscient. It is ridiculous how much power he has at the opening of the movie, so for a good solid three weeks, we are trying to figure out, what is movie two with a character with that much power?”

McFeely continued:

“At one point, I think Trinh Tran, our executive producer, in frustration said, “God, I really wish we could just kill him.” We all went, “slow down. What does that mean? That’s interesting.” It’s absolutely within his character. When we asked, “Why would he let you?” Because he did what he wanted to do. It’s strong for him to do that. We’ve been at it a long time and that’s the kind of thing I beat myself up for not thinking of earlier. If I’m being consistent to his character, this is on the table.”

Remember, Thanos made very clear his high opinion of himself. I believe the word he used more than once was inevitable. This all makes it seem like he let the Avengers kill him. And why not? He knew he’d accomplished his goal of bringing balance to the universe. The Mad Titan may have also been fully aware that his past self would, if needed, give the heroes another run for their money.

This reveal by the Avengers: Endgame writers makes Ant-Man’s time heist plan work that much better and almost makes you forget about how the whole “let’s go back in time and fix everything” trope has been used too much in movies. Plus, we also got to see Thanos die twice by our heroes’ hands, which you have to admit, absolutely rocked.