Avengers: Endgame is being marketed as the culmination point for over a decade of big screen adventures, and as the Avengers: Infinity War sequel brings the current era to a close, you can expect the movie to pay tribute to all that came before it.
In an interview Empire, Scarlett Johansson was asked if she’d seen any footage from Endgame, to which she replied:
“I have. From what I can tell, what’s foremost in the [Russo] Brothers’ minds is really delivering something that is a poetic and beautiful Valentine to a decade of madness.”
It’s long been assumed that Marvel’s Phase 3 finale will contain plenty of nods to the MCU’s previous entries, and the last trailer made that all the clearer with its flashbacks to earlier films. How exactly the movie will incorporate all this superhero history into the drama has yet to be confirmed, but for the last year, it’s been a consistently popular prediction that Endgame will see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes travel back in time. Set photos and reports have even suggested that a few dead characters could be making appearances, from Loki to the Ancient One.
But while Endgame is expected to juggle an overwhelming array of familiar figures, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige recently confirmed that the main focus will be on the original Phase 1 Avengers. And as the franchise’s oldest heroes, it’s widely predicted that at least some of the six will be bowing out after Endgame.
As it stands, the only Phase 1 hero confirmed to have any further MCU movies lined up is Black Widow, though seeing how the character’s upcoming solo flick is heavily rumored to be a prequel, there’s still no guarantee that Natasha Romanoff will live to see the end credits of next month’s release. Regardless, we’ll find out how Avengers: Endgame honors the past while paving the way for what’s next when the film hits theaters on April 26th.