The Very Specific Reason The Original Pet Sematary Chose Its Breed Of Cat

The Very Specific Reason The Original Pet Sematary Chose Its Breed Of Cat

Cinema history is filled with some wonderful big screen felines, and Church from Mary Lambert’s Pet Sematary is a challenging inclusion to that list. After all, while the cat is certainly cute and a pretty animal, what it goes through in the story – being killed and then brought back to life through sinister magic – is decidedly not that loveable or “wonderful.” Still, few will ever forget his presence in the fantastic Stephen King adaptation, and part of that extends from his noteworthy look – which I recently learned was specifically chosen for a pair of reasons by the director in the making of the movie.

In the 1989 film, Church is portrayed as a British Blue cat, and while speaking with Mary Lambert this week in celebration of Pet Sematary’s 30th anniversary I learned exactly why that breed was chosen. I had asked the filmmaker about her memories working with the cats on the set of the movie, and while she couldn’t name on the spot the type of cat, she did explain the key reasons why she wanted Church to have his specific look. Said Lambert,

We had a lot of cats and I chose that gray - it's a special breed, I've forgotten the name of it. It has that really thick, thick, thick fur, and they all look alike. A) They all look alike, and B) I just thought that they were kind of creepy. It looks a little bit like a plush toy. I was thinking that sort of subliminally when the cat comes back to life, it's kind of like a toy that comes to life. And I think he looks a little bit like a stuffed toy to me, that cat.

Even someone who loves cats has a really hard time falling in love with Church, and according to Mary Lambert it seems like part of that may be due to a special take on the uncanny valley. With its mono-colored and dense fur, they don’t always look entirely real, and when you’re dealing with an undead cat, that works to your advantage.

Church is, of course, a key part of Stephen King’s original novel, as the entire book was inspired by the death of the cat that belonged to the author’s daughter. This made him absolutely vital to include in the big screen adaptation, but as you can probably guess, it wasn’t exactly easy. Though Pet Sematary needed the feline presence, cats are not the easiest animals to control, and so it was actually a group effort that was needed in order to bring the character to life. Mary Lambert explained,

We had a whole army of cats. If you love cats and you own cats you know that every cat is a little different and that no cat is really completely trainable. You can have a cat that will reliably do something, but the next cat might not reliably do that. So he had a cat that was a snarler; we had a cat that was a jumper; we had a cat that was a scratcher; we had cats for everything the cat does. We had about eight or nine cats. Whatever Church needed to do, we would bring in the cat that would do it.

And now you have a much better understanding of the whole “they all look alike bit,” as well.

It clearly took a bit of extra work, but the filmmaking team was eventually able to collect all of the footage that they need to make Church’s “performance” in Pet Sematary legitimate. What was a surprise added bonus from this, however, was the fact that the material shot apparently helped the director occasionally in getting higher-ups to clear out of the editing process. As Mary Lambert noted while laughing during our interview, nothing would get executives out of her hair faster than a call to bring up the dailies for Church:

The dailies from that would be pretty funny, but not for long. That was back in the day when you actually screened dailies, and everybody that wanted to see the dailies came to the dailies screening. The execs would come, and the producers would come, and they were screened in the evening. Whenever I wanted to clear the room, I would just say, 'Put up the cat reel!'

Continuing, Mary Lambert explained what it was that was featured in the “cat reel,” and while one can imagine it being cute for a second (it’s footage of cats, after all), it would get old pretty damn quick. Apparently not only would each animal only do one specific trick, but it was still a challenge to get them to actually do it, and the cameras would have to keep rolling in order to try and get the needed material. Said Lambert,

It'd be like an hour of a spoon with a clicker and a piece of liver on it comes into the frame, and the hand holding the spoon clicks it, trying to indicate to the cat to look. And after about 30 seconds of clicking, the cat like comes in and eats it, and doesn't do what it's supposed to do. 'Okay, then take two.'

There is a good reason why that classic W.C. Fields line about not working with children and animals has stuck around the industry for about a century – and I’m not talking about the way that they steal the spotlight.

Getting all of that cat footage together was clearly a challenge, but at the end of the day it was entirely worth it - and Church remains an iconic part of the fantastic film in all his snarling and hissing glory. And now you can enjoy all the extreme horror of it all in a brand new way, as the incredibly beautiful restoration of 1989’s Pet Sematary was released on 4K and Blu-ray this past week. Copies are now available in stores everywhere, so go pick yourself up a copy, and celebrate the 30th anniversary right!

Arnold Schwarzenegger Just Proved He's Still Got Conan The Barbarian Moves

Arnold Schwarzenegger Just Proved He's Still Got Conan The Barbarian Moves

If that third Conan movie ever actually happens, Arnold Schwarzenegger will be ready for it -- even at age 71.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has had a fascinating life so far. He started as a bodybuilder -- becoming the youngest-ever Mr. Universe with his first win at age 20 -- before becoming a Hollywood movie star, and even later governor of California. He's still active with bodybuilding, including in the annual Arnold Sports Festival. Schwarzenegger is currently at the Arnold Sports South America event, and showed that he's still got those Conan the Barbarian moves he first showed off in 1982:

Nice. Let's hope his 1980s self doesn't sniff at that and insist he would've hit the bullseye.

If you're curious to see more of the Arnold Sports action -- and Arnold's reaction to the action -- check out @ArnoldSports to watch more inspiring clips like this:

Arnold Schwarzenegger still has a big heart for the warriors of the world.

Conan the Barbarian was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's first major film roles. But his first lead was as Hercules in the 1969 film Hercules in New York. After playing Conan in the 1982 movie, he returned to that role for the 1984 sequel Conan the Destroyer. And then ... no third movie. Yet?

Anyway, right after his second Conan movie, his Hollywood career really took off. He landed the role of T-800 in The Terminator and went from that to Red Sonja, Commando, Predator, The Running Man, Twins, Total Recall, Kindergarten Cop, T2, Last Action Hero, True Lies, Junior, Eraser, Jingle All the Way, Batman & Robin, End of Days, Collateral Damage, The Expendables, and now more Terminator in Terminator 6, Dark Fate.

Phew! He made a lot of movies around those titles, too, and somehow had time to do other things -- like run for office and even host The Apprentice, briefly, after Donald Trump left.

Age is just a number, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is still relatively young at 71. I'm excited to see him back for Terminator: Dark Fate this November, and also -- hopefully -- alongside his 72-year-old buddy Sylvester Stallone for The Expendables 4. As Sly recently posted with a photo of both Arnold and Bruce Willis, they are "the last of the breed."

Not everyone loves sequels, but Arnold Schwarzenegger has definitely embraced the franchise life -- from Terminator to The Expendables. He has been trying to get a third Conan movie -- or TV series -- off the ground for a while, and recently explained why that has been such a trial.

As we wait for Terminator 6 to arrive this fall, cross our fingers for The Expendables 4, and maybe just pray for Conan the Barbarian, keep up with everything headed to the big screen this year with our 2019 movie guide.

Ford May Be Making Pickup Trucks Into Movie Theaters

Ford May Be Making Pickup Trucks Into Movie Theaters

Nowadays, there are so many ways to enjoy a movie other than the traditional theater experience. Netflix has started producing its own high-profile films for cinephiles to tune into conveniently at home, along with the ability for moviegoers to take their favorite films on the go to their phones, laptops and such.

What if you could turn the back of your pickup truck into its own movie theater with minimal installation required? Ford Motors has just patented an accessory for a pickup bed that does just that, per a Fox News report. Take a look at the design from the patent below:

The system is made of two telescoping supports that can mount into the receptacles built into the side of the pickup truck bed. The design allows for a movie projection screen, television or projector to be placed along with a place for a speaker system. It even allows for a TV screen to have the option to swivel.

It’s specifically designed to work on a Ford F-150 or Super Duty truck, and is meant to be better than a custom setup, because it doesn’t require drilling holes into the bed, which can lead to corrosion down the line. Ford has not announced plans to release a manufactured version of the design for purchase, but considering they patented it, this could be on the way.

This is an exciting idea, especially for tailgaters and campers who have dreamt of having a high-quality movie experience before the big game or under the stars next to their tents. Of course, there’s always the careless consumer, who might decide to keep TV on while on the freeway and distract other drivers from the road.

The design follows some other recent innovations to go along with pickup beds such as the Honda Ridgeline, which offers a bed-as-a-speaker system and the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500, which allows for an auxiliary stereo system to be built into a folding MultiPro tailgate. So it was only a matter of time before “pickup truck movie theaters” started being designed as well.

This is an idea that certainly only caters to an owner of a truck who often park them in places that demand for entertainment such as this but it’s certainly a unique one that can spice up one’s definition of movie night.

In the past, there was also a bed that could turn into a movie theater, that had a projector installed to the headboard and panels that can come down at the sides, for a comfy at-home movie viewing. It’s no wonder movie theaters are offering subscription services and Netflix to up-ing their game with special releases, given all the new innovations to make viewing movies easy and different.

Halle Berry Knows How To 'F--- Up' People After Training For John Wick 3

Halle Berry Knows How To 'F--- Up' People After Training For John Wick 3

Some minor spoilers for John Wick 3 can be found throughout this article.

By now, John Wick is a full-fledged franchise with an avid fanbase. On May 17, Lionsgate will release John Wick: Parabellum, the latest movie featuring our badass hero. This time around, the franchise is adding Halle Berry, and although she says she talked her way into the role, the training to play Sofia was intense.  At CinemaCon 2019 Berry admitted she feels comfortable enough having trained for John Wick 3 that she could handle herself in any situation. She noted:

It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life… It also changed my life but I learned skills that I can really use. I feel like if someone attacked me on the street, god bless them, because I know some shit now and I will fuck them up.

During the Lionsgate panel at CinemaCon 2019, Halle Berry admitted that even before the script was written for John Wick: Parabellum she knew she was correct for the role. She met with director Chad Stahelski and convinced him she was a good fit for the role.

But then the training started. The actress talked about how grueling working on John Wick: Parabellum was.

It all showed in the final project.

This week at CinemaCon, footage was debuted from the upcoming threequel. In it, Sofia and John Wick are taking on a large lot of bad guys, as people are wont to do in action movies. In one scene in particular, Halle Berry’s character is kicking a bad guy’s ass when another bad guy starts shooting from above. Sofia literally calls her dog, the dog jumps off the back, scales a giant wall and takes down the bad guy from above. Talk about stunts.

Chad Stahelski is known for action sequences and the new look at the movie didn’t disappoint. Look, if you’ve seen the early footage from the trailer for John Wick: Parabellum, or really either of the other movies, you kind of know what you are getting into, but the reaction when Halle Berry let a dog jump off her back was audible, and I hope everyone reading this has the same experience in the theater.

Later in the clip we saw, John Wick is caught in the middle of taking down myriad bad guys. He runs out of bullets just as his opponent does but manages to reload quickly to take out his opponent and another on the ground.

Although this footage isn't out and about yet, the movie is coming and it's coming soon. Catch the movie starting on May 17, and before you do that be sure to take a look at what we know about Chapter 3 of the saga.

It Sounds Like The New Shazam! Trailer Protects A Number Of The Film's Secrets

It Sounds Like The New Shazam! Trailer Protects A Number Of The Film's Secrets

This morning, with approximately a month to go until Shazam!’s release, Warner Bros finally dropped a new full-length trailer for the superhero movie, the first since the debut trailer came out at San Diego Comic-Con last year (though there have been a couple shorter previews released in the interim). The latest look at Shazam! was filled with new footage of Billy Batson showing off his special powers and fighting Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, but according to director David F. Sandberg, it doesn’t spoil any of the movies big secrets, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. As Sandberg responded to a fan who wanted to see more from the trailer:

That Doomsday hashtag calls back to when it was confirmed in one of the later Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailers that the beast who killed Superman in the comics was appearing in the movie. This revelation received a lot of backlash online since it spoiled what the climactic conflict would be. It’s one thing for a trailer to give viewers a taste of what’s to come, but to outright spoil major moments that would make for great surprises when actually seeing the movie is generally frowned upon. David F. Sandberg would rather someone wanting more than learning too much, as he stated on Twitter.

If you re-watch today’s Shazam! trailer, you’ll see that the first half of the preview hits most of the same beats that the previous trailer hit, from Billy Batson meeting the mysterious Wizard to testing out his powers with foster brother Freddie Freeman. The latter half gave us plenty of new footage, such as Billy activating an ATM with his magical lightning, catching a falling bus and failing to leap over a tall building in a single bound. With the accompaniment of Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady,” it was definitely an amusing new look at the seventh DC Extended Universe film, though I can understand why some fans might have been hoping it showed off more material. Nevertheless, I agree with David F. Sandberg about the new Shazam! trailer wisely not revealing too much.

Maybe I’d feel differently if this trailer came out several months before release, but as stated earlier, we’re now only weeks away from seeing Shazam! on the big screen. You can be sure there will be plenty of TV spots to follow, but with the movie so close, Warner Bros and DC might as well keep a few extra secrets close to the proverbial chest. In fact, there are two twists in Shazam! that have already been publicly confirmed, but for the general public, it’s wise for them to be surprised by said twists upon seeing the movie rather than learn about them in a trailer.

Warning: SPOILERS for Shazam! are ahead! If you’re content with what you’ve learned about the movie so far and want to stay in the dark from this point forward, turn back and read another one of our fine articles.

Although Shazam! is pulling from various eras of the eponymous hero’s history, the storyline is heavily inspired by the New 52 origin story that was written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank. That story saw Billy, having only just received his superpowers from The Wizard, being forced to fight Black Adam, who had accidentally been resurrected by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana. But things only got worse from there. Eventually the Seven Deadly Sins (also known in past eras as the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man), demons that had been imprisoned by the Wizard, and that eventually led to Billy sharing his Shazam powers with his foster siblings: Freddie, Mary, Pedro, Eugene and Darla. Through teamwork, Shazam and the gang were able to triumph over the forces of evil.

By all accounts, it looks like the Shazam! movie will unfold similarly to those New 52 events, although obviously without Black Adam’s involvement. Once Billy Batson’s foster siblings were cast in the movie, there were numerous predictions about how they would become superheroes like their comic book counterparts, and now we know for sure that’s going to happen thanks to some toy releases and unofficial castings for the kids in their adult forms, just like how Zachary Levi is playing the adult form of Asher Angel’s Billy.

It was also confirmed last month that the Seven Deadly Sins (Pride, Envy, Greed, Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony and Lust), who can be briefly be seen in their stone forms in the Wizard’s base, the Rock of Eternity, will also end up causing trouble in Shazam! It remains to be seen how they’ll be freed, but one would assume Dr. Thaddeus Sivana is behind it. After being rejected as the Wizard’s champion as a child, the character has somehow managed to use science to unlock the secrets of magic as an adult, hence why he’s a physical match for Shazam in this movie. Sivana may be the main antagonist, but it’s easy enough to imagine a scenario where either accidentally or on purpose, he unleashes the Seven Deadly Sins. Knowing them, they could have promised to give him even more power, leading to them either combining their power was his to make even mightier or just betraying him. I’d lean towards the latter.

If Shazam! ends up being anywhere near as popular as Aquaman was, it’s possible we could see this particularly property also carving out its own special corner of the DCEU. If it’s at least financially successful, Warner Bros will likely give the green light to a sequel, and Dwayne Johnson has also been attached to lead a Black Adam movie for several years. For now, though, the World’s Mightiest Mortal needs to impress in his live action theatrical debut, and if there’s one thing that can be said about the movie, it’s that there are various surprises still in store.

Shazam! will work its magic in theaters April 5, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. Don’t forget to also look through our DC movies guide to learn what other projects are in development for the DCEU, as well as our 2019 release schedule for plan your other silver screen visits later this year.

This Rotten Week: Predicting Long Shot, Uglydolls, The Intruder, And El Chicano Reviews

This Rotten Week: Predicting Long Shot, Uglydolls, The Intruder, And El Chicano Reviews

Following the release of one of the most anticipated movies in quite some time came out last week, it's natural to feel a cinematic hangover - but we still have four flicks hitting theaters this week in which we can sink our teeth. Get ready for Long Shot, Uglydolls, The Intruder and El Chicano.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at This Rotten Week has to offer.

Politics can be a tricky and controversial subject nowadays, but this one seems to circumvent all of that by framing it all as a romantic comedy. Long Shot centers on Charlize Theron’s Charlotte Field, the United States' Secretary of State, hiring her old ex-babysitee (Seth Rogen) to be a part of her team as a speechwriter. It’s a quirky premise that would seem a disaster if not for some of the players involved.

Director Jonathan Levine has helmed some quirky winners in the past like The Night Before (67%), 50/50 (93%), and Warm Bodies (81%), and the first two titles on that list starred Rogen as well. He has one miss with Snatched (36%), which was his last feature, but this latest won’t fall into that category. Thanks to its early premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, critics have already been sharing their opinion on this one, and the Tomatometer is currently sitting at 84% with 31 reviews posted. I don't think it will move very much over the course of the week.

The story appears quaint enough in Ugly Dolls: a group of unconventional stuffed animals live a rather peaceful life in their insular world, but find their perspective turned upside down doll universe where the other inhabitants are “perfect." It doesn't exactly look like a tale we've never seen before, and I’m a bit concerned with the execution. The trailers suggest the filmmakers spent more time making sure the songs sounded good, with the narrative taking a backseat.

Director Kelly Asbury’s critical record in the animated world leaves a lot to be desired. He’s directed Smurfs: The Lost Village (38%) and Gnomeo and Juliet (56%) in recent years, and his only real critical win came more than 15 years ago with Spirit: The Stallion of Cimarron (70%). Unfortunately, it looks like this latest film will fall in the former group. There are plenty of critically acclaimed animated features, but this one looks less than redeeming.

Buying a new house should be one of life's most exciting and unforgettable achievements, but it doesn't appear that's the full experience being had by Meagan Good and Michael Ealy's characters in The Intruder. Instead of being able to celebrate the purchase, they have to deal with a crazy man played by Dennis Quaid who is just a bit too attached to his old home.

It probably goes without saying, but The Intruder looks somewhat entertaining, but mostly ridiculous. It has all the earmarks of your run-of-the-mill thriller, with the tough-to-get-rid-of crazy guy doing a lot of stalking and engaging in an an ever-escalating series of violent interactions. Director Deon Taylor already made a similar film with Traffik (26%), and I don't expect this one will fare any better with critics.

Last weekend saw one of the biggest superhero movies of all time hit theaters, but this time around we're getting a costumed vigilante story that exists on a much smaller scale. El Chicano centers on a cop in Los Angeles (Raúl Castillo) who, while investigating gang and cartel activity in his jurisdiction, makes some startling discoveries about his dead brother and starts crimefighting in a different capacity.

It's not your typical superhero movie for sure, but El Chicano kind of looks watchable. It looks like the kind of movie where the hero takes on an ever-increasing amount of danger as he battles foe after foe, developing his skills and getting more badass in the process. I don't expect critics to fall in love with it, but I imagine them being split.

Simply put, I blew it with Avengers: Endgame (Predicted: 84% Actual: 96%) - and I’m saying that knowing that my prediction was only 12% off the mark. I never should have gone that low on this film, letting the overall average of the MCU movies cloud my judgment in predicting the score. Ultimately this flick was nearly perfect, a stunning and fitting closure to an incredible saga of films. It’s already destroying box office records, and that's as it should be. In retrospect, 100% would have been the better guess, and then I could have bagged the four percent of critics who couldn’t get on board.

Next time we’ve got the Detective Pikachu, The Hustle and Poms. It’s gonna be a Rotten Week!

The 10 Biggest Questions We Have After Avengers: Endgame

The 10 Biggest Questions We Have After Avengers: Endgame

The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame. You have been warned. Like all the spoilers. Honestly, if you didn't see this I suggest just quietly leaving this article and checking out one of our other excellent, nonspoilery articles. Like our nonspoilery ReelBlend review, for example.

We all expected Avengers: Endgame to be a massive, epic experience, and by most assessments, the film succeeded in every conceivable way. The film brought many of our favorite characters to satisfying, if not necessarily happy, endings. However, we all know the story doesn't entirely end here.

While many questions were answered in Endgame, many new ones were created because of what we saw onscreen. In addition, for those characters whose paths did not end here, plot threads have been left dangling which are sure to leave us curious for Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here are 10 of our biggest open questions...

Will We Ever See Regular Bruce Banner Again?

When we left Bruce Banner and the Hulk at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the pair were having something of a spat. Hulk was keeping himself submerged, much to the frustration of Banner, who needed the help. Following the time jump at the beginning of Endgame, we see that Banner has successfully merged his own intelligence with the Hulk's strength, leading to him becoming the permanent big green guy, but with a complete vocabulary.

Does this mean that normal Banner, and angry Hulk for that matter, are gone for good? While we know that time has passed, it's a pretty jarring change considering that it's never really explained what the Hulk's problem was the first time around. If Banner is truly happy as the Hulk full-time, that's great, but one wonders if he might miss becoming human after a while.

What Happened To Gamora?

Of all the various developments that have changed things in the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward, one of the more interesting was the way that Gamora was "brought back." Rather than simply being resurrected after her death in Infinity War (which is explained as something that cannot happen after being killed as a sacrifice for the Soul Stone), we saw a younger Gamora time travel from before the point where we first met her in Guardians of the Galaxy. So, the new Gamora is actually the Gamora from nine years ago, a Gamora who never fell for Peter Quill.

Still, at the end of Avengers: Endgame we see Quill searching for Gamora, implying that she's still alive, and escaped the final battle. Are we sure that's true? Why wouldn't Tony Stark's snap have wiped her out along with everybody else that came forward in time? Could Stark's snap request get super specific? If she is out there now, how did she escape? Thanos' ship was basically turned to scrap by the end of the battle. Is she somewhere hiding on Earth?

What Happened to Loki?

One of the more humorous moments of Avengers: Endgame comes when the team first tries to procure the Tesseract, and instead it ends up in the hands of the captured Loki. Given his chance, he grabs it and vanishes, never to be seen again in the movie.

What exactly does this mean for Loki? Is he still dead? Is he alive? This action would seem to have caused a parallel time stream to diverge from our own, and there's now a timeline where Loki ran off with one of the Infinity Stones. I would love to know how else this timeline could change because of this event. Could this be the explanation of what the new Loki Disney+ series will actually be about?

Why Was Steve Able To Lift Mjolnir Now?

There are a number of moments throughout Avengers: Endgame that probably made longtime fans jump in their seats shouting "hell yeah," but near the top of that list has to be Captain America swinging Thor's hammer Mjolnir. Only those who are worthy may wield the weapon. Even Thor himself isn't sure he would still qualify until he tries to summon the weapon earlier in the film.

While there's no question that Steve Rogers is a good man, perhaps the best of us, he once previously tried to lift the hammer, and while he was able to make it move, he could not lift it. What exactly has changed that made Captain America unworthy then, but worthy now? Thor is unsurprised, but he hasn't even seen Rogers in the last five years, so how could he know what Cap could do?

Why Was Harley At The Funeral?

You'd be forgiven for not even recognizing the young man standing alone at Tony Stark's funeral, the last time you saw him was six years ago (and that's in actual time) in Iron Man 3. He is a much more grown-up Harley Keener, the young boy who helps out Tony Stark in the now-known-to-be final Iron Man movie.

Because actor Ty Simpkins looks a lot different than he did back then, he's almost impossible to recognize. For that reason even including him seems a little odd. There's no indication that he and Tony Stark have kept in contact since the events of Iron Man 3. Is this moment just another Easter egg for the fans who will recognize it or is there something more to seeing Harley appear once again? Will we see him again?

Is Fat Thor A Guardian Now?

One of the more interesting developments at the end of Avengers: Endgame that seems to indicate a direction for the future is that Thor is leaving Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy. He even goes so far as to dub the new team the "Asgardians of the Galaxy" which is the name of an actual team of heroes that has appeared in Marvel Comics.

Does this mean Thor is now a permanent member of the Guardians? Has James Gunn's script for the forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 included Thor all this time? If so, this has the potential to change the entire dynamic of this franchise. If not, what's going to happen to Thor between now and that film's release?

Did Peter Parker's Entire High School Class Die In The Snap?

At the end of Avengers: Endgame, as we watch all of our characters returning to their lives, we see Peter going back to high school. There he embraces his friend Ned. Based on the fact that Ned isn't five years older, we can assume that he also perished at the end of Infinity War, but based on the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home, it looks like that's the case for every returning character in that series.

Based on the fact that five years of time have passed, in the MCU we must assume that in addition to Peter and Ned, MJ and Flash also spent five years dead, as they're all still in high school in Far From Home and appear to be the same age. Of course, the other question is, has high school even been happening for the last five years? It looks like most of civilization has simply fallen apart following the snap. How was Peter even able to go back to school so quickly in the first place?

Why does Steve Take Mjolnir Back In Time?

Captain America takes on the responsibility of returning the Infinity Stones to their proper points in time, in order to have as little impact on time and space as possible. However, he takes one other item with him as well. Thor's hammer Mjolnir.

Is he bringing the weapon in case he has trouble returning the stones? Is he planning on returning it at the same time that he drops the Aether back on Asgard? I suppose that timeline's Thor will eventually miss his hammer if it's gone for too long. Perhaps Steve needs the hammer to return the Aether at all. Of all the places he's going back, Asgard might actually be the most complicated for him if he's seen. Except, of course...

Did Cap Return the Soul Stone?

The most interesting stone for Steve Rogers to actually return would have been the Soul Stone. Did he actually take it back to the planet Vormir? It's possible Steve just simply re-hid that stone in some other place. If nobody alive knows where it is, then it doesn't need to be anywhere. Although, if he did bring it back to its home, that's an even more interesting question.

First off, if Steve Rogers does go to Vormir, that means he's going to run in to the Red Skull once again. That's a meeting I would love to have seen. The Skull isn't quite the man he once was, but that's what makes it interesting. The even bigger question, however, is what happens if you return the Soul Stone at all? If one must trade a life for the stone, then does returning the stone mean you can take back the life as well? If so, can Black Widow potentially return?

What The Hell Happens Now?

This, of course, is really the only question that matters. If you've been following the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the last 11 years, this is what you're asking. Frequently, Marvel has used additional scenes inside the credits to give us an indication of what's next, but Avengers: Endgame became the first MCU movie to date to have none. Not even just for fun.

Of course, in the short-term we do know the answer to this question. Spider-Man: Far From Home is what's next, and it's only a couple of months away, but after that we don't even know what movies are coming or in what order we'll see them. How will our heroes stories continue forward? How will those who returned to life five years in the future come to terms with this changed world? What new threat will come forward that will need Earth's Mightiest Heroes to fight it?

Unless the day comes that the MCU actually comes to a total end, there will never be a lack of questions to ask. Avengers: Endgame was the end of several stories, but not the entire story.