In his unforgettable finale Avengers: Endgamewe saw the iconic departures of Iron Man and Black Widow – two of the original Avengers who gave their all for the greater good. But what if their sacrifices were just the tip of the iceberg? What if Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo had taken their final bows alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson?

What if the final battle claimed all of the original Avengers? As it turns out, that was Kevin Feige’s original argument. A suggestion so bold that even the Russo brothers had to pump the brakes.

How Kevin Feige’s bold plan for Avengers: Endgame It could have changed everything

Marvel fans are no strangers to the roller coaster of emotions that come with Avengers movies. But what if Avengers: The end of the game did we all see that it wasn’t as explosive as it could have been? According to the Russo brothers, this was the original plan proposed by none other than the president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige.

In a chat from 2022 on Happy Sad Confused podcast, filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo talked about the bold direction Feige had in mind. The idea was to eliminate not only Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff, but all of the original Avengers – Chris Evans (Captain America), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) — all in one shot. Joe Russo shared:

He went on to explain that these moments of sacrifice would allow the audience to catch their breath, process the emotional impact and truly feel the weight of the loss:

This idea of ​​an all-out Avengers bloodbath might seem like a wild gamble, but Feige has always been known for thinking big — maybe too big. The Russo brothers, who had a firm grip on the film’s emotional pace, knew that such a decision could upset the delicate balance of the story.

Yet even with their reservations, the Russo brothers didn’t entirely shy away from the sacrifice. They ended up killing off two major characters, but even that was met with resistance. Anthony Russo revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that Jon Favreau was one of the first to sound the alarm. He called the Russo brothers after reading the script and questioned their decision to kill off Tony Stark – an iconic moment that would forever change the landscape of the MCU. Anthony Russo recalled:

Joe Russo added:

However, since that move, the MCU and Marvel stories in general have struggled to find ground.

Does the MCU feel crippled by the deaths of its main flag bearers?

It’s been a long time since Marvel movies and shows were seen as a hallmark of success. After the massive success of Avengers: Endgame, rarely do we see an MCU film break the billion dollar mark or garner critical acclaim, except for nostalgic collaborations like Spider-Man: No Way Homit’s or Deadpool and Wolverine. And there’s a good reason for that.

The chemistry between the original 6 Avengers was effortless and soothing to the eyes, which is why audiences loved it whenever they appeared together. Since Tony and Natasha were killed, Steve retired, Hulk, Thor and Clint went off on their own adventures, the franchise has yet to see a team as successful as theirs.

Until now, new team-ups and collaborations only worked when an already established fan-favorite hero returned, as in the case of No way home and Deadpool 3. For a cinematic universe as vast and intertwined as the MCU, this is especially important because without familiar faces, it’s difficult to draw audiences into theaters.

Therefore, if the Russo brothers had continued with Kevin Feige’s risky shock adventure, it could have made Marvel fans pale and adverse to any project after the death of all the founding Avengers. Something we can already see, albeit partially, somewhat softens the blow.

Avengers: Endgame is airing on Disney+.