The name of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 22nd film certainly does it justice, as the studio’s chief Kevin Feige stressed that “Avengers: Endgame” would be what the world’s largest superhero franchise had been building up to over the past 11 years.
“This film is the endgame. This film is the culmination of the 22 films that we’ve made up to this point,” Feige said at a press conference in Seoul on Monday. Attending the event were directors Anthony and Joe Russo, producer Trinh Tran and cast members Robert Downey Jr., Brie Larson and Jeremy Renner, playing the roles of Iron Man, Captain Marvel and Hawkeye, respectively.
Brie Larson (left), Robert Downey Jr. (center) and Jeremy Renner pose at the press conference for “Avengers: Endgame” on Monday in Seoul. (Yonhap)
The upcoming film, set for release here on April 24, is a direct sequel to 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” that became the fourth highest-grossing film of all time. “Endgame” takes place immediately after the events of “Infinity War,” with the heroes working to reverse the damage caused by Thanos.
Anthony Russo said the film will present a closure to many of the stories in the MCU, while Joe called it the best project they had been a part of.
The upcoming superteam movie has been arguably the most highly anticipated superhero film of all time. As such, speculations and fan theories have been brewing online.
“My favorite is Ant Man goes up Thanos’ butt and then makes himself big. And that is exactly what’s gonna happen,” Downey joked in reference to what has quickly become a popular internet joke.
Robert Downey Jr. poses for a photo during the press conference for “Avengers: Endgame,” Monday in Seoul. (Yonhap)
Renner chimed in saying he loved the creativity of the theories and the anticipation behind them.
Larson kept her lips sealed, claiming, “I don’t know what the movie is. I have no idea what’s real and what is not. I like all the ones that involve defeating Thanos though.”
A star of the recently released “Captain Marvel” where she plays the titular role, Larson is expected to be a key figure in the new film. Tran stressed that the presence of female superheroes is important to both her and Marvel.
Among the hottest issues surrounding the new film is which of the characters will bid a final farewell to fans. There had been rumors about Marvel Studios killing off its important characters like Captain America -- or even the wildly popular Iron Man.
Among the popular theories is that “Endgame” will kill of many of its older heroes who will be replaced by recently introduced ones, such as Captain Marvel, Black Panther and Spider-man, whose standalone film is slated for release in July.
“I won’t use the word ‘replace.’ I think we will continue to introduce new heroes as we’ve done over the past few years. I just don’t know which our new hero is yet,” Feige said.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe officially kicked off with the release of “Iron Man” in 2008, which relaunched Downey into international superstardom and led the movie universe to become one of the most profitable movie franchises of all time. “Endgame” is the fourth in the “Avengers” series, which teams up some of Marvel’s most popular superheroes.
By Yoon Min-sik
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)