Just because Endgame is being picked on again, I thought I’d share my perspective because why not. Gifs aren’t mine, credit goes to the talented creators on this app.
I never really understood the reason for splitting up the teams the way they did in Endgame, and here’s why.
Aside from what has already been acknowledged on Vormir, the right people were all on the wrong missions. If you think about it, by sending Nebula to Morag, they had to address Thanos all over again, by sending Thor to Asgard, he was forced to address all of the trauma and grief he was suffering in the worst possible circumstances, Tony messed up and let Loki get away, and then Steve got recognized on the base dedicated to him (shocker!).
It’s at this point that I bring up a line from the first Avengers movie. “This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for.” Natasha says this to Clint, and I really wish the writers had thought about that more going forward. Clint and Natasha were trained spies, and we almost never saw them act like it because the films were too busy making them keep up with the rest of the team superheroes. Why not just use their OG skill sets rather than give them new ones to provide additional character development? (Looking at you lullaby Nat 👀)
So here’s how I would’ve done it. Thor should’ve gone to New York with Scott, Tony, and Rhodey. Thor, who has had the most experience with Doctor Strange, whom they were expecting to find, would have done just as good a job at convincing the Sorcerer Supreme of handing over the Time Stone. Rhodey would not have looked out of place in that lobby so he wouldn’t have had to rush away in fear of being caught and then not been knocked over by an angry Hulk. Scott goes with him, and Tony gets the scepter, and flies away without being caught by Captain America.
Rocket and Clint should have gone to Morag. The two of them are very good at sneaking around and taking out people clandestinely, so they should’ve been getting the Power Stone. Also the dynamic between Clint and Rocket would have been absolute comedy.
Natasha and Nebula could’ve paired up for Asgard. Thanos could have noticed two Nebulas at once again, still leaving the big fight at the end, and as two women, they would’ve probably gotten along well enough to make the movie actually pass the Bechdel test.
Now back to Vormir. Steve and Bruce. Putting the Red Skull on Vormir is a choice I could respect, but then making it so Steve would never interact with him on screen was a mistake. The fact that a Nazi gets to live and Natasha didn’t will never sit right with me. So Natasha is never there. Steve interacts with the Red Skull, who then gets to taunt him with the emotional trauma of needing to sacrifice a life to save those he cares about, only for Bruce to call bullshit and sacrifice himself instead, and gaining something he’s hinted at wanting since the first Avengers movie.
But wait. Maybe he doesn’t have to die. The Hulk made Bruce somewhat immortal in canon, and in the sake of someone needing to die, they could’ve become one person and thus given Professor Hulk a far better origin. Steve also doesn’t go back in time and get a nostalgia kick that ruins his character development and most importantly, Natasha doesn’t have to die at the expense of a character who’s sole existence in the MCU has historically been propped up and motivated by his fellow female characters.
(I might actually write this as a fic if I ever get round to it, and these are just my thoughts, I’m sure many of you disagree, but I don’t give a shit)
