General Spoiler Warnings for Avengers: Endgame apply
Avengers Endgame was a truly an amazing movie and a great way to bring together an entire shared universe of films that spans over a decade.
As a man of science and someone who pays attention a lot of little details, we have some concerns about the real-life implications placed after everyone who was snapped away from existence is unsnapped back to life.
Because there are a few things that are glossed over and rightfully so, it is a fictional movie so we do suspend our disbelief. This article is purely for fun, so let’s have some fun with five major implications after Avengers: Endgame.
We can agree to disagree about Thanos’s idea to getting rid of 50% of the life in the universe in order for it to thrive. A lot of us saw the logic in such a plan yet we disagreed with the method of execution.
In Endgame, Thanos destroyed the stones (to avoid being tempted to use them again) before our heroes could retrieve the stones and bring everyone back without too much damage done. Thanos is beheaded by Thor, five years pass and the universe is a much different place. It is unable to move and thrive as Thanos has envisioned. Because that’s not how it works when you prune all life in the universe by half. Luckily by the end of the film, our heroes are able to save the day, and all life previously snapped away is instantly brought back and now we have a happy ending.
EXCEPT!!!!…
Infinite ecosystems are going to be in chaos
Introducing that much new life into any atmosphere would immediately and certainly throw the various ecosystems in the universe into chaos. That many more people just immediately showing up on worlds where their atmospheres had reset and adapted to the lesser populations, that kind of spontaneous population increase will at the very least cause climate catastrophes, sea levels rising, even more global warming. However, when Hulk snapped his fingers, also being a man of science, he added that little fine print to keep everyone okay. We see a glimpse of this when Ant-Man looks out the window of the Avengers compound and says “I think it worked” , and for a second you can see that outside it has turned from a cloudy grey sky to one with sunshine and birds singing.
If you vanished in the snappening the people you love who didn’t die are FIVE YEARS OLDER
In one of the epilogues in Avengers Endgame we see Peter Parker back in high school and embracing his homie Ned. It was obvious that they hadn’t seen each other in a while and it was a touching scene to see. It was also pretty cool that school was back in an orderly environment after such a universal event happened.
But wait! If five years have passed and Peter was a sophomore in high school at the time of Avengers Infinity War, his friends and classmates who weren’t snapped away have graduated high school already. Also, legally Peter Parker is 21 years old and is still in high school. Yes, everyone who was brought back was brought back as they were snapped away, however, legal documents are legal documents and a lot of people are 5 years older than they were but stuck in their youthful bodies. Peter Parker is now an adult in a teenager’s body and mind and a lot of parents got what they pretend to want on Instagram and that’s for their children to stay children for a little while longer.
Wakanda is Probably Westeros Right Now
Five years without a king is a pretty long time. I would love Black Panther 2 to focus on the kind of power struggles happening in Wakanda after their king was snapped away five years. Because if you’re paying attention, there are some very concerned parties when it comes to who sits on the Vibranium Throne. As we know, the title of ‘Black Panther’ and Monarch of Wakanda is sometimes challenge based, but what happens when there is no one to challenge? Who takes over as monarch? What exactly happens when T’Challa comes back after being gone for five years?
Political intrigue is a huge part of Black Panther as a character and a movie franchise. In real life, you can’t just “die” then come back to life five years later and expect everything to be hunky dory. Someone in Wakanda is not happy about the King’s return and doesn’t death end the watch of the current king?
Captain America is truly America’s Ass/What Exactly is Defending Earth from Otherworldly Threats
This is a two-parter because I promised to keep this at five.
Part 1
The rules of time travel were a bit murky in Avengers Endgame, however, one thing was explicitly stated was that if you take something from the past and it isn’t returned to the moment it was taken, you create an alternate universe without that item and chaos could ensue. Again, they’re murky with the rules but that one was explained clearly. So what happens when all is said and done and things need to be put back in place? Captain America pulls a Scott Summers and runs off to be with his girlfriend from way back in The First Avenger.
A few things about that, Captain America creates a separate timeline when doing this being someone who doesn’t belong in that timeline, disrupting the natural flow of events. He also presumably becomes the uncle of his current timeline love interest, Sharon Carter. Yes, it’s touching that he goes back to give Agent Carter to give her that dance, however, it’s a strict violation of time travel rules that created a new alternate reality. I mean I’m cool with the film possibilities, but come on man.
Part 2
There are ZERO Infinity Stones in the main MCU universe. So what exactly is protecting the universe from falling apart and what exactly is keeping it together? I feel like we will get these answers in upcoming Marvel films, but the thought of Dr. Strange having nothing to protect the Sanctum Sanatoriums from Mystical threats is a bit scary. The Infinity Stones used to reverse the snappening were all from the past timeline. The stones of the present timeline were destroyed by Thanos. Now one could assume that since they are Infinity Stones, they can self-repair and can return in the future like they always have in the comics. However, that has yet to be seen. What we do see now is an entire universe where the Infinity Stones are destroyed and some groups who are here to protect life are without their ultimate defense against threats.
People WILL have psychological issues dealing with being “Dead”Â
When Scott Lang escapes the Quantum Realm he finds himself at a memorial to those who had died at the hands of Thanos and he saw his own name. All and all he took it quite well, however, how would you feel if you came across your own tombstone, your own obituary, your own memorial after you had been brought to life? Many thoughts would likely go through your mind and you may very well question your own existence now knowing that death itself could be reversed. Now I know that was a deep thing to read on a nerdy website, but that is a real theme in Avengers Endgame. The number of support groups for those in need to understand their mortality would be incredible because again, this was not just an event on Earth. It was a universal event. The confusion about what exactly had happened and the questions trillions across the universe would have would indeed drive a lot of people insane. Maybe even ushering in new heroes and villains for the MCU.
Here’s hoping we find out.
Thank you so much for reading this, please feel free to discuss and share your own theories and ideas about the real-life implications of Avengers Endgame.
Also check out:Â
Creator of Thanos, Jim Starlin talks Avengers: Endgame reaction on This Week In Geek
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