How Avengers: Endgame Was Almost Completely Different
The film we got wasn't always the one intended...
Making one movie the culmination of 11 years worth of exposition was always going to be a challenge, but Avengers: Endgame managed to pull it off in excellent fashion. Coming as the second part to Infinity War where all hell has broken loose and most characters are rendered nothing more than torn up Hoover bags, Endgame managed to neatly tie up the plot threads with a healthy dose of death, retirement, and rapid old ageing - but it wasn't always designed to go down that way.
The Endgame that we got was the result of a fair few rewrites across the board, and whilst most were absolutely for the better, there are plenty of 'what ifs' hanging in the air for the movie that could have been brought to life instead.
Were there other visions of the future Dr Strange saw that were supposed to be played out on screen? Have we been shortchanged on a film that doesn't owe the fate of the universe to one wayward rat? Screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus have revealed all in a recent interview with The New York Times.
8. Hawkeye Could've Died Instead Of Black Widow
One of the big deviations that could have been is born from THAT Black Widow moment. When the two BFFs Black Widow and Hawkeye are sent to retrieve the Soul Stone, we already know what's about to happen. The damn thing can't be lured out of hiding without chucking someone you love in the pit, so the dynamic duo will have to be whittled down to a solo act one way or the other - causing a bizarre suicide competition as neither could bear to let the other go.
Black Widow is the one that manages to smear herself over the concrete, but there was talk of having Hawkeye make the sacrifice instead. They ultimately decided that him taking the hit instead of her was 'melodramatic', and unfair to Widow's arc to have Clint steal this moment - since essentially, her whole story has been leading up to her clearing the red from her ledger.
Screenwriter Stephen McFeely said: "Jen Underdahl, our visual effects producer, read an outline or draft where Hawkeye goes over. And she goes, “Don’t you take this away from her.” I actually get emotional thinking about it."
In fairness, giving Black Widow autonomy over this decision and a fulfilling purpose to her years of work in the aftermath of the snap is only right. Having Clint take the hit would have been too easy, especially considering he's looked like dead meat from his very first appearance.