If you disregard the film’s focus on time travel – and the somewhat vague explanations of the mechanics that govern it – you’d be hard-pressed to find any major shortcomings in Avengers: Endgame. The Russo brothers’ magnum opus manages to, against all odds, wrap up the universe-altering events of Thanos’ destructive snap, bringing together dozens of key characters for one final showdown that fans won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
Of course, it’s hard to completely ignore all the time travel. The introduction of multiple, alternate timelines (and characters) confused plenty of moviegoers, and the creative team even admitted they had to film multiple reshoots in order to explain a few of the finer details a little more clearly.
As a result, some MCU fans were under the impression that Marvel would choose to backtrack on the five-year time jump seen at the beginning of Endgame. It’s easy to understand the thought process – advancing the timeline five years while simultaneously bringing back everyone who had been “blipped” away introduces numerous logistical issues. Some of them can be explained with a bit of hand-waving, but it definitely complicates things a bit. That being said, it looks like the time jump and the undoing of “The Blip” are here to stay.
As ComicBook.com reports, the director’s commentary track for Avengers: Endgame (which features the insights of directors Joe and Anthony Russo, along with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely) explains the team’s decision.
“But that’s I think, one of the most compelling things about the movie, is doubling down at the end and not reversing it. So the Marvel Universe moving forward takes place five years in the future, and its a really complicated future,” Joe Russo explained.
It’s not entirely clear what the future of the MCU will bring, but it’s always possible that a few movies take place before Avengers: Endgame. The standalone Black Widow film is going this route, after all, as it’s set after the events of Captain America: Civil War.