Bollywood: Captain America's MCU Return Can Solve Endgame's Timeline Problem

Captain America's potential return to the MCU in Phase 4 or beyond would be the perfect opportunity to fix the confusing issues with Avengers: Endgame's otherwise excellent ending. Though Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter got their belated happy ending thanks to the former going "off-mission" during his return of the Infinity Stones to their timeline, it took some mental gymnastics to understand how it was all possible.

The news that Chris Evans' original Avenger could be set for a huge return in the future of the MCU has added yet more excitement to an already massively hyped new era for the MCU. While new stories are important - and Marvel are doing incredible work to expand the roster in meaningful and fan-friendly ways - having brands like Cap, Thor, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange to help guide the way remains a major boon. If fans are to get more of Cap's story - or even something new but with Evans in the key role once more - then that is good news for everyone.

And that's not least because it will allow for a little more work on the logic of Endgame's climax, which inspired a lot of debate when the emotional dust had settled. Chief among the concerns was the issue of the Ancient One establishing the idea of branched timelines and then Captain America seemingly ignoring those timeline rules to change his own past (or at least relive the future he was robbed in the past) before somehow confirming he still existed in the main timeline as an old man. Left at that, the plot-hole was frustrating, because clearly there are gaps to fill, and now that Evans is set to return, the opportunity to piece together exactly how Steve Rogers pulled off the reverse Infinity Stones heist and got his life back can perhaps be answered.

The options to tell more of Captain America's story in the MCU's future are far-ranging thanks to the MCU's less grounded foundations in Phase 4. The adoption of time travel as a viable science in this universe and also the opening of the Multiverse means that there's ample logic to cover basically any eventuality. And while the idea of an alt-universe version of Cap (possibly even the HYDRA version of the comics) is appealing, having him offer an answer on how his mission worked is key, considering Endgame's writers and directors don't even agree on what happened. Logically, the Russos were wrong and Cap's journey into the past just meant that there were two Steve Rogers around at once, Peggy's husband was always Steve and he lived his life in hiding.

But even then, that's not the whole story, even if it's confirmed. Because while the idea of Steve living his life quietly in peace with Peggy is romantically compelling, it doesn't fit who the former Captain America is as a person. And sitting on the sidelines while people needed saving makes no sense. If Steve's return - whether it's as Old Steve from Endgame's ending or a young version stolen out of time again - can offer an answer there, perhaps introducing the idea of Steve taking up heroism as Nomad in secret, then the MCU will be richer for it. As long as Captain America's return offers some firm logic on what truly happened in Endgame when he went back in time and repaired the timelines, everything else is a bonus.

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January 16, 2021 at 06:51AM

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