Disney unveiled a new plot synopsis for Avengers: Endgame on their Australian website.
It reads:
“After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos’ actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.”
There’s a little bit to unpack here. First off, Disney reveals the “universe is in ruins.” We haven’t really seen this in the trailer or in the Super Bowl TV spot. We did see car crashes and a helicopter crash into a building in the end credit scene with Nick Fury and Maria Hill, but we haven’t really seen a universe in ruins. The Super Bowl TV spot indicated there were consequences and people are struggling to cope with Thanos’ attack that wiped out half of all living beings in the universe. But we haven’t really seen the ruins of the universe. Most of what we’ve seen has been focused on Earth. We don’t know what’s happened with Xandar, Jotunheim, Hala, or any of the colorful planets we’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
One has to wonder what exactly does “in ruins” mean? Is it rampant crime and destruction with warlords and strongmen assuming power vacuums left in the wake of what we can only assume would be a complete devastation of global governments on Earth. Could certain countries not have lost their leaders and made bids to exert their power on a global scale? Maybe certain planets weren’t affected and it could have swayed intergalactic relations. We know there was a Kree-Skrull war happening in the 90s, could that war have been resparked with one side feeling that numbers are on their side?
As we would expect the Avengers will assemble once more. One can assume this means that Captain America and Iron Man will finally put aside their differences and work together. It provides a lot of hope to fans who thought Tony Stark might end up dying based off the first trailer. However, it also indicates that the Avengers might have gone their separate ways after Thanos’ attack. At the end of Infinity War, they were primarily in two groups. You had Tony’s team with most of the Guardians, Spider-Man, Nebula, and Doctor Strange. The other team was Captain America, Black Panther, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Winter Soldier, Hulk, Falcon, Thor, Rocket Raccoon, and War Machine. They were pretty unified in the fight against Thanos.
However, Thanos devastated both teams when he snapped his fingers. It’s possible the Avengers struggled with the loss of their friends and allies and many of them went into their own form of isolation instead of banding together. It’s clear from the trailer that Hawkeye has been off on his own when Black Widow finds him. I wouldn’t be surprised if others have made a similar choice.
Their goal is interesting too. They want to “undo Thanos’ actions.” They aren’t seeking to avenge their allies and defeat and punish Thanos. They need to undo his actions. That’s not surprising given the characters who were dusted included Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man. Spider-Man is getting a sequel film, and it’s more than likely Black Panther and Doctor Strange will get sequels as well. They are coming back somehow.
Now, what might make people uneasy are those last few words, “no matter what consequences may be in store.” That definitely implies Thanos will be dishing out some damage and potentially killing off a number of the Avengers. But it could also be from a spiritual perspective. The Avengers and in my mind specifically Captain America might be faced with a choice where he has to potentially sacrifice his morals in order to undo Thanos’ actions. That choice might save everyone, but it could break Captain America spiritually.
What do you make of this new synopsis? Do you have any ideas or theories about what we will see in Avengers: Endgame when it come to theaters on April 26th?