Avengers: Endgame is now available on Digital HD, with the release coming with a host of special features. Perhaps the highlight for fans wishing to know more about the development of the movie’s story is the commentary track, in which the filmmakers explain how Endgame came together in its finished form as well as giving their opinions or interpretations of certain scenes.
One interesting revelation that comes from the commentary concerns Peggy Carter’s first appearance in the film. When Cap and Iron Man go back to the 1970s in order to retrieve the Tesseract, Steve Rogers spies his lost love through a window at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base. He doesn’t interact with her – timelines and all that – but it demonstrates his heartbreak and how much he misses her.
Apparently though, this sequence wasn’t part of the original narrative. Co-writer Stephen McFeely had this to say about it on the commentary: “Our first draft did not have this. It would’ve been a shame. It’s really lovely.”
It’s a touching, emotional scene, for sure, but it’s surprising that this wasn’t always included as it’s pretty key to setting up Steve’s eventual actions at the end of the movie. As well as a couple of references to Peggy elsewhere – her picture in his compass and a nod to her being the love of his life – this leads the way for Cap to remain in the past when he’s sent to replace the Infinity Stones and live out a second life married to Agent Carter.
Of course, whether this second life takes place in the prime timeline or an alternate one is a matter of some debate amongst the production team themselves. The Avengers: Endgame writers say the older Steve has been hiding in the MCU all along while the Russos believe he lived in a different timeline for the most part and simply hopped back over to hand Sam Wilson the shield. Which interpretation you subscribe to is up to you, though.
