Avengers: Endgame is out in Digital HD and people have already started buying their copies like crazy. Fandango reported that Endgame also made a record for the preorders of the digital copies. What came with those copies is the special Audio Commentary of the writers and directors. This is where these creatives explained all the queries that people had with the complex story of the film.
They talked about why exactly did they take on time travel as a concept, and why the Time Jump was necessary. Well, we all can agree that the time jump was only a tool for Tony to be back on his feet and give him a happy family life. It was always going to end with Tony Stark’s sacrifice so he had to cover all aspects of his life before they killed him. Hence, he got married which was followed by Maguna, and his trip to the 1970s where he met his father.
So yea, the time jump affected Tony Stark the most. Here’s what the film makers had to say about it in the commentary:
“Joe Russo – Let’s talk about Tony in this film, and Tony’s arc in this movie. What is most compelling for all of us as storytellers, I think, is making character travel the greatest distance. And so if you look at where Tony started in the Marvel Universe as an egotistical, self-involved character, by the end of this film, he is selfless. And this movie I think is a large part of his journey and it will complicate and bring to the forefront the essential conflict of who he is as a hero.
Stephen McFeely – And it tests him dramatically. He certainly has been taking nibbles at being a more selfless character all along the way. I mean, certainly in Avengers, he was gonna die by sending a nuke into space. By the time he gets to Civil War, he’s certainly trying to take things out of his own hands. But by the time he gets here, has a family to lose, the sacrifice becomes pretty dramatic.”
Along with being a tool to complete Tony’s story arc and actually put the Avengers in a vulnerable place, the Time Jump was also used as a tool to set up the future of the MCU. After Avengers: Endgame, Marvel has gone into their long development phase where they wanted to do a few new projects along with producing the sequels. Spider-Man: Far From Home took place in 2023. But before we get another sequel, i.e. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there’s a 2-year time gap. In this time gap, Marvel will develop all of their sequels whilst putting out 2 prequels and a new franchise (Black Widow, Eternals, and Shang-Chi).
By the end of 2022, we’d probably get to see Black Panther 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and probably Ant-Man and the Wasp 3 as well. So by 2023, Marvel will have launched almost all of their sequels and they’d be on pace with real time. Hence, the time jump has also been used to catch up. A lot of these upcoming films and Disney+ series are supposed to be taking place at the same time, i.e. 2023. Hence, a 5-year time jump was chosen.
The effect it had on all other characters was also greatly explored. Bruce became smart Hulk. Thor turned into a depressed Robert Baratheon. Captain America surprisingly saw the bright side of Thanos’ snap, or at least he was helping other people look at it. Black Widow was the only one who still did not give up. She couldn’t move on and was still working hard trying to bring her family back. Then there was Hawkeye, who took the mantle of Ronin, became a vigilante and started to wipe out all the evil on his own.
There’s one side of me that wishes the time jump wouldn’t have happened, but then there’s the other that’s glad that it did.
