The MCU Already Told Us How Every Avengers Story Should End

Marvel Studios already revealed how each Avengers‘ story would end. As the MCU enters a new chapter in its storytelling with Phase 4, it might take a while before there’s another big character send-off like Iron Man and Captain America had in Avengers: Endgame. Granted that Black Widow will essentially be the proper swan song to Natasha Romanoff, other than that, it will take a few years before the franchise sees another key player exit.

The MCU thrives on its long-term storytelling, so a lot of its primary characters stick around for a while. The biggest heroes are usually confirmed for at least three solo films, so it gives a sense that their fates are safe, yet they may all have an inevitable conclusion. This idea is taken a step further as the original Avengers group remained intact until Avengers: Endgame where half of them wrapped up their respective journeys. This approach admittedly has its own naysayers, most of them citing that it’s improbable that each hero comes out of every dangerous mission unscathed resulting in the idea that the MCU has little to no stakes.

In any case, it’s safe to say that it will be quite a while before the universe bids goodbye to another Avenger. Despite this, Marvel Studios has already revealed how each of the surviving heroes’ arcs will end. As told by director Joe Russo during the We Love You 3000 tour, becoming a superhero in the MCU is pretty much like signing one’s life away. Those who committed to the cause will have no issues giving up their lives for the greater good. That’s exactly what happened to Iron Man and Black Widow in Avengers: Endgame.

“I think like, in a way, Tony Stark was always fated to die. And… here’s the thing about our culture that’s interesting. A lot of people get upset about that, when I say something like that. But when you’re a hero, your job is to die. That is your job as a hero, is to sacrifice yourself for the greater good. And that’s what we’re trying to teach people in the movie is that you’re either in it for yourself, or you’re in it for the community. And Tony was in it for the community.”

Of course, the exception to this is Captain America, but that’s only because he’s already proved time and time and again that he’s willing to die for the cause. In fact, he was so devoted to doing good even before he was even physically-capable to do it. Unlike Iron Man, Black Widow, and most of the heroes in the franchise, Steve Rogers had been fighting the good fight for decades. So instead of giving him his pre-determined MCU hero ending, Avengers: Endgame shook things up and sent him off with a happy life with Peggy. This way, it’s unexpected, but also well-deserved, which makes it work.

If Marvel Studios subscribe to this mindset moving forward, this means that most, if not all remaining heroes in the MCU will end their respective arc with a heroic death. That is to reiterate the idea that they’re devoted to their responsibility that it won’t be a problem for them to make the sacrificial play. There are a couple of challenges that this poses to Kevin Feige and his team, however. Firstly, it will be difficult to achieve this with Avengers like Thor and the Hulk who are almost indestructible. Secondly, they have to make sure that not all deaths feel the same way, otherwise, it would feel repetitive and would lose their impact over time.