MASSIVE SPOILERS BELOW, OBVIOUSLY

Fresh out of Avengers: Endgame, we’ve got the breakdown you’ve been looking for. After so many big moments throughout the blockbuster film, MCUExchange have carefully selected the most crucial events that took place during the three hour run time. Here’s what we’ve chosen and what they all mean for the MCU and its future!

Heroes Reborn

Of course the most obvious twist of the film was the spectacular return of Earth’s mightiest heroes. Whilst the revival of those affected by the Snap was pretty predictable, we couldn’t help but be moved by that special sequence that saw them portal back into the battlefield. With the roaring Avengers anthem and those iconic words finally said on screen, it’s hard not to call that assembling one of the biggest moments of the film. For the first time ever, we saw nearly every major character from MCU history on screen at the same time. Of course there were a couple of notable exclusions, including many of the TV characters, but that magical story beat surely won’t ever be repeated again in the same way. That one sequence showed how far the MCU has really come. In Iron Man we were told that there was a much bigger universe out there and the revival of these heroes and major battle is symbolic of that universal growth.

Cameos Galore

Endgame also boasted the return of many surprise characters. From pivotal leads such as the Ancient One, to shocking, if not brief returns of the likes of Jane Foster, the producers clearly wanted to get as many faces back as possible, to celebrate this momentous occasion. A couple of personal favourites for this writer, was the film debut of Jarvis, with the same actor from the Agent Carter TV show, as well as the re-emergence of Sitwell and Rumlow, pre-Winter Soldier. Korg is also sure to be a popular favourite of audiences around the world and Agent Carter herself is perhaps the most emotional return of the bunch. Gamora also marked a slightly different type of return, with a version of the character alive in the MCU once again, but not the Gamora we are familiar with. This may set the scene for the third Guardians adventure, but more on that in a bit.

Widow’s Doom

Speaking of Gamora, another character received the same fate as Thanos’s daughter did in Infinity War. As the Avengers sought to steal all of the infinity stones from across time, Ronin and Black Widow had a tough decision to make, as to who was to be sacrificed in order to receive the soul stone. It was Natasha that eventually fell and was permanently written out of the future of the MCU. Whilst we will see the Black Widow return in her own film, this is sure to be set before the events of Endgame, because as Clint said it himself, there’s no way to get her back. One of the more traumatic moments of this grand finale, fans said farewell to a character that has been part of the DNA of the MCU.

Time Divergent

Speaking of the time travel quest that the team set themselves on, there are clear repercussions for this. As the film went along it was clear that some of the events that took place were not directly how they had happened. This could have caused ripples effects and ultimately created alternate timelines. One moment stood out especially and that was the escape of Loki. Much like Gamora, there is a version of Loki that is still out there somewhere, a post-Avengers version that has not been redeemed in the way he had been in subsequent films. This may create all sorts of problems, throughout MCU history, ones that could come back to bite the Avengers. Not only this, Nebula has killed a past version of herself, which may mean that she is now in danger of being erased from history.

New Asgard

Coming off of the events of Thor: Ragnarok and Infinity War, the Asgardians have suffered a great deal of suffering, after losing both their land and half of their people. They are now reduced to living in a small town, nicknamed New Asgard. This idea of the land of the gods being on Earth, has been explored in the comics previously. At the end of the film, Thor hands over the leadership to Valkyrie who promises to protect her people. This Midgard version of Asgard could prove the start of a brand new era for the Norse deities, once which may spark some brand new heroes.

Asgardians of the Galaxy

As Thor leaves New Asgard to go on a few more adventures, we noticed that we might be getting a hint as to where the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is heading. The son of Odin is no longer the man we once knew, but a slightly larger and much more insecure version of the iconic character. After losing himself it seems he is joining the team that have already lost a lot of stuff. Dubbing them the Asgardians of the Galaxy, this may be what the third installment of the franchise is to be called, if it does indeed include Thor. We’re really excited for this possibility, as it looks like the team track down the new Gamora, perhaps alongside Korg and Miek (we can only hope). The team will be mostly the same it seems, but maybe we’ll have a few other godly additions, like Angela perhaps?

Cap and Mjolnir

Speaking of Thor, whilst the god of thunder is still able to wield his magical hammer, there is now another that can claim they too are worthy enough to posses the power of Thor. It had been hinted in the past that Captain America might have the ability to life Mjolnir and as Thor screams during this big moment, we knew it! Steve Rogers runs into battle with the Asgardian weapon by his side and the mystical thunder powers that only the Odinson had used before. The moment was iconic and had been built up so well that cinema’s have been cheering across the world for it.

Steve’s Retirement

Whilst we’re on the topic of the Captain, there’s of course another scene that we have to talk about. It’s a real tear jerker and is for this writer, the most emotional and poignant part of the film. When Steve Rogers takes the role of returning the infinity stones across time, we knew the job would be done well. What we didn’t realise was that he wasn’t coming back the same. Steve decided to stay in one part of time in particular, finally marrying the love of his life, Peggy Carter. The moment is romantic and one that’s been well earned after years of storytelling from Marvel Studios. Of course, with an elderly Steve now in the present, someone new has to take on the Captain America mantle.

The Avengers Legacy

With Thor announcing Valkyrie as the new Queen of Asgard, Hawkeye showing his daughter how to shoot an arrow and Ant-Man’s daughter old enough to take on the role of Stature, there are many instances of the torch being passed to a new generation. Whilst Rescue finally being introduced to audiences was a cool moment, there was no bigger passing of the torch than the role of Captain America. It’s been speculated for a while which hero would be the new Captain, but the buck eventually went to the Falcon, with the support of Steve’s life long friend Bucky. This marks a dawning of a new era in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one where Sam Wilson finally wears the wings and wields the shield.

I Am Iron Man

As we are talking about the new era that is upon us, we also must talk about the ending of the old one. The lifeblood of the MCU has always been Tony Stark. With Iron Man kicking off this huge adventure and the amazing journey we have all been on, it was time to say goodbye to the man that started it all. The death of this hero, after everything that has happened, was emotionally strong and left a tear in everyone’s eyes. It’s been quite the ten plus years for this iron avenger and he is finally at peace, after saving the world one last time. The funeral of Stark marked the finish of these phases of the MCU and we now know that we are heading towards a very different future. It’s hard not to find it difficult to say goodbye to the past, but with so many newer heroes on the scene, the bigger journey may only have just begun.

What do you think of the big moments we’ve picked out? Have we missed anything? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.