11 Major Ways Avengers: Endgame Has Changed The Marvel Universe Moving Forward

11 Major Ways Avengers: Endgame Has Changed The Marvel Universe Moving Forward

It goes without saying, but there are MAJOR SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame ahead! You've been warned.

Although each Marvel Cinematic Universe story has helped the franchise move forward, some movies have obviously been more important than others. Avengers: Endgame can definitely count itself among this group, if not outright take the #1 spot, as the final installment of the Infinity Saga shifted the MCU status quo several times over by the time those three hours and two minutes were over.

Needless to say there was a lot to absorb in Avengers: Endgame, but as far as where the movie leaves thing off, here are all the ways it changed the MCU, some of which we can expect to be followed up on in the future.

Black Widow Is Dead

Natasha Romanoff, who’s been in the MCU since Iron Man 2 and was one of the founding Avengers, was the first notable casualty of Avengers: Endgame. She and Hawkeye traveled to Vormir to collect the Soul Stone, and when Red Skull, a.k.a. the Stonekeeper, informed them a soul needed to be exchanged for the orange rock, the longtime friends fought over who would give up their life.

In the end, Black Widow won out, willingly falling from that cliff so that the family she’d become a part of would finally be whole again (meaning that the reports of her upcoming standalone movie being a prequel were true). Her sacrifice wasn’t in vain, as by the end of Avengers: Endgame, all of her loved ones were back together again… well, with one big exception.

Iron Man Is Dead

Tony Stark kicked off the MCU in 2008, and 11 years later, he delivered the killing blow against past Thanos and his forces by sacrificing his life. Although it looked as though the Thanos from 2014 would get the six Infinity Stones and remake the universe from scratch, Tony managed to steal the Stones from Thanos’ gauntlet, insert them into the nanotech gauntlet Hulk used earlier and turn Thanos and his minions to dust.

Sadly, the power of the six Infinity Stones is too much for any normal human to control, and after bidding goodbye to War Machine, Spider-Man and Pepper Potts, Iron Man died. His time in the MCU is over, but his legacy won’t fade away. Tony is also survived by his young daughter Morgan, who could potentially become a more important player in this franchise years from now.

Captain America Is An Old Man

After Tony Stark’s funeral, Captain America volunteered to return the Infinity Stones back to their proper places in time. From the perspective of Hulk, Falcon and Winter Soldier, who supervised Cap’s latest journey through the Quantum Realm, he should only have been gone for several seconds, but he was nowhere to be seen. At least, not as they remembered him.

After fulfilling his task, Steve Rogers decided to use the Pym Particles one last time to travel back to the 1940s, reunite with Peggy Carter and live that happy life Tony had told him to get. Thanks to a combination of good genes and the Super Soldier Serum, the now 106-114-year old Steve was sitting on a bench near where his younger self had departed, and he had one last deed to accomplish.

Falcon Is The New Captain America

Ever since he was introduced in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, has been one of Steve Rogers’ closest allies, so needless to say it was great to see him return alongside everyone else who was un-dusted in Avengers: Endgame’s climax. And while Steve’s superhero journey is finished, Sam’s is turning to a new chapter.

Although Captain America’s shield was destroyed by Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, while he was living in the past, Steve Rogers somehow obtained an undamaged version of his trademark weapon. By giving the shield to Sam, the elderly Steve bestowed the Captain America mantle onto him, and while Sam was initially hesitant to fill his friend’s shoes, he graciously accepted and said he’d do his best. Count on the upcoming Falcon and Winter Soldier series on Disney+ to explore this new status quo further.

Thor Is With The Guardians Of The Galaxy

Avengers: Endgame may have closed the book on Tony Stark and Steve Rogers’ stories, but not Thor’s. The God of Thunder was hit especially hard by half the universe being dusted and spent the next five years in a funk. Fortunately, he was convinced to participate in the Time Heist, and when the climactic battle was over and the un-dusted were back, Thor finally seemed like his old self again. However, even a long-lived Asgardian needs to switch things up.

Rather than continue leading the people of New Asgard in Tønsberg, Norway, Thor appointed someone new to look after the community (more on them later) and he hitched a ride back into the cosmos with the Guardians of the Galaxy. It remains to be seen if Thor will be sticking around with the team for a while or he’s only spending short amount of time with them; if it’s the former, then that bodes well for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

It’s 2023 In The Present Day MCU

As many had speculated, time travel did indeed play a big role in Avengers: Endgame. However, rather than overwrite the events of Avengers: Infinity War entirely, Endgame instead had its heroes bring the Infinity Stones back to the present to return the dusted back to life without rewriting the last five years.

So now as far as the MCU is concerned, the ‘present day’ is 2023, and those who survived the dusting back in 2018 still have all those experiences and memories of the past five years. In other words, they’re not exactly the same as they were as when they lost their loved ones to the Thanos snap. That’ll surely provide an interesting ‘separation’ of sorts between those who lived and those who were dusted. And speaking of the people who returned to life…

The Dusted Are Now Five Years Younger Than Everyone Else

Five years passed for those who survived Thanos’ genocide, but for the people who were resurrected when Hulk channeled the power of the Infinity Stones, no time had passed at all. This was made clear when Spider-Man told Iron Man how it’d just felt like he’d passed out after getting “dusty,” unaware that it’d been half a decade since Tony Stark last saw him.

Peter Parker and those who came back to life now have to life in a universe where half the population did its best to move on. One would think this will be touched upon later this summer in Spider-Man: Far From Home, because even though it’s now 2023, Peter is still in high school with Ned, Flash Thompson and Betty Brant.

An Even Younger Gamora Is Running Around

Gamora met her demise during Avengers: Infinity War when Thanos threw her off a cliff on Vormir to obtain the Soul Stone, and that version of her remains dead. But thanks the Avengers: Endgame’s time travel shenanigans, a younger version of Gamora from the Guardians of the Galaxy era is now in the present day MCU. In other words, she’s nine years younger than she would have been if she’d survived Infinity War and live on into Endgame.

Like her original iteration, the younger Gamora turned to the light and fought against her “father” when push came to shove. However, this Gamora also doesn’t have any connection to the Guardians of the Galaxy, so once the battle was over, she bailed on everyone else. It’s likely then that part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will see Star-Lord and the gang trying to find Gamora and convince her that she belongs with them.

Valkyrie Is Queen Of New Asgard

Valkyrie made her debut less than two years ago in Thor: Ragnarok and quickly became a fan favorite. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen in Avengers: Infinity War, but it was confirmed earlier this year that she did survive the snap. Sure enough, Valkyrie retuned for Avengers: Endgame alongside Korg and Miek, but unlike those two, she got a promotion at the end of the movie.

With Thor heading back into space following Thanos’ defeat, he appointed Valkyrie the Queen of New Asgard. She’s definitely qualified to lead the Asgardian survivors in the God of Thunder’s absence, but there’s no word yet on if/when we’ll see how she’s doing in this position, whether it’s in Thor 4, a Valkyrie series for Disney+ or elsewhere.

Professor Hulk Is Here To Stay

It’s been said for years that Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame would form a special trilogy for the Hulk, and Endgame finally delivered the resolution that many had expected. After years of Bruce Banner and Hulk fighting for control, the two merged together sometime in the five years after Infinity War. The brawn of the Hulk now lives simultaneous with the mind of Bruce. Welcome, Professor Hulk!

Avengers: Endgame also left the door open for Hulk to return to the MCU down the line, and Mark Ruffalo has at least one movie left on his six-picture deal. As of yet, it hasn’t been announced if/when Hulk will return, but it’d be nice to see more of Professor Hulk down the line in a less explosive story. Just don’t get your hopes up about another solo Hulk movie, as that appears to still be off the table.

Loki Is Still Alive In An Alternate Timeline

Loki was murdered by Thanos at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, and as far as the main MCU timeline is concerned, the Asgardian God of Mischief is still dead. In an alternate timeline, however, he’s not only still alive, but on the loose. Some complications arose while Tony Stark was trying to retrieve the Tesseract in 2012, and it led to the freshly-captured Loki seizing the cube-encased Space Stone again and escaping from his captors.

While there is a Loki series confirmed to be airing on Disney+, it’s not clear if this alternate timeline Loki will factor into it. It’s been reported the show will involve Loki influencing various events in human history, so it’d be easy enough to have that function as a straightforward prequel without bringing in the alternate Loki. Still, at least now there’s the option to pluck this other Loki into the main MCU timeline should those in charge want to throw the character properly back into the mix.

Be sure to let us know in the comments which of these Avengers: Endgame changes to the MCU was your favorite, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on the future of this superhero franchise. You can learn what movies are already in development with our handy guide.

What Happened When Alexander Skarsgard Shaved Half His Head For A Movie Role

What Happened When Alexander Skarsgard Shaved Half His Head For A Movie Role

Alexander Skarsgård is a good-looking guy. In fact he’s built a career around playing handsome dudes on the big and small screen. However, he threw it all away for a recent role, after shaving his head for The Hummingbird Project.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Alexander Skarsgård recalled the paparazzi giving him sympathy after seeing him with an unfortunately shaved head at an event while the movie in question was still filming. He said,

The great thing was, when I stepped out of the car and there was this press line, with photographers. I stepped out and I’ll never forget the sound when they all saw me, because they all went, ‘Awww.’ Someone was like, ‘Is he OK?’ They thought I had a meltdown.

Obviously, the intent was not to freak out the paparazzi, but Skarsgard did say he’ll never forgot what happened the one time he left the set in the three months he was shooting The Hummingbird Project as a balding man. But he was adamant with his stylists that he was unwilling to be a hat guy at an event. The rest is history.

So, why not just use a bald cap in the first place for the movie? Luckily, Alexander Skarsgård actually revealed to Jimmy Fallon how the whole thing came about.

I wanted to be bald and I thought for some reason it would look more natural, instead of doing a bald cap to just really shave it. I didn’t realize that it doesn’t quite look real, natural – see, the hairline doesn’t work.

If you look at the image at the top of this story or check out the original paparazzi event, you can see how Alexander Skarsgård's "balding" doesn't totally look like he's actually balding. The lines are kind of funny, but regardless of their complete authenticity, the look certainly does change the actor's face quite a bit.

While Jesse Eisenberg got to keep his hair for The Hummingbird Project, Alexander Skarsgård was certainly not his usual handsome self. Instead, he plays Anton, one of two cousins (the other is played by Jesse Eisenberg) who quit their day jobs to try and build a competitive fibre optic cable across half of the continental United States. Anton is awkward, a programmer who generally goes along with his cousin's insistence. It's a role far removed from the True Blood gig that made him famous, or a lot of his more recent movie roles.

The Hummingbird Project isn't the first time the actor has changed his hair in Hollywood. It was big news when he added a mustache back in 2017 after appearing on HBO's Big Little Lies.

In addition, if you haven’t caught Alexander Skarsgård full visit to The Tonight Show, you can watch the full video below.

The good news, these days his full head of hair is back, particularly in this weekend’s Long Shot, in which he plays Canada’s Prime Minister opposite Charlize Theron’s Secretary of State character. He's recognizable in that movie, although there is one other actor in a lot of makeup you may not recognize.

Long Shot hits theaters today.

This Rotten Week: Predicting Avengers: Endgame Reviews

This Rotten Week: Predicting Avengers: Endgame Reviews

It isn't often we get a movie with as much hype and star power as the one that comes out this week. It's the end of an era with the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe getting one last chance to save the universe from the awful might of Thanos. Get ready for Avengers: Endgame.

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.

Ever since the snap heard around the universe in Avengers: Infinity War, fans have been waiting to see how exactly this quest by Thanos would ultimately play itself out. Everyone knew immediately that the disintegration of half the Avengers into a fractal mist wouldn’t be the end of the story, but it has remained a mystery exactly how the titular team would solve the devastating crisis. Now it’s up to Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Thor, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, Iron Man and a few others to right the wrongs by the Mad Titan, bring back their friends, and wrap up this era of the franchise. It looks awesome.

Rarely has a movie been met with so much anticipation, but this is a finale more than ten years in the making. Twenty-one movies after the release of the first Iron Man we get this spectacle, which looks to be a full realization of the vision Kevin Feige and company planned from the very start. It looks like it is set to be the franchise's biggest release yet, and if history is any indication, it should wind up doing quite well with critics.

Joe and Anthony Russo are back at the helm for Avengers: Endgame after previously directing Captain America: Winter Soldier (90%), Captain America: Civil War (91%), and Avengers: Infinity War (85%). It goes without saying that there's been a great number of fantastic directors helming Marvel Cinematic Universe features, but few if any have inspired the kind of awe and created the kind of spectacle that the Russos have.

Expanding to the rest of the franchise, the average Tomatometer score for the previous 21 releases is 83.9%. That in mind, I'm going to play the numbers and say that Avengers: Endgame winds up with an 84% - while at the same time expecting that the final score will actually be significantly higher.

What a week for the Rotten Watch. There were three movies in wind release, and I missed the Tomatometer score by a combined eight percent across all the projections. This is me patting myself on the back.

Penguins (Predicted: 89% Actual: 90%) may end up a direct hit when it’s all said and done. This was another big critical win for the DisneyNature franchise that just continues to pump out winners. Like I said last week, they just have a winning formula of super cute animals and stunning visuals.

Meanwhile, Breakthrough (Predicted: 61% Actual: 64%) is one of the rare, Christian-heavy films that actually ended up on the positive side with critics. Often the religious bent is just too heavy-handed to garner much critical support, but this is something of an outlier.

Finally, The Curse Of La Llorona (Predicted: 36% Actual: 32%) sucked as predicted. One could tell from the trailer that this latest chapter from in The Conjuring Universe just wasn’t bringing anything new to the table, and it seems that critics at large agreed.

Next time around we’ve got another interesting week with El Chicano, The Intruder, Long Shot, and Uglydolls. It’s gonna be a Rotten Week!

Sonic The Hedgehog Will Have 'Edgy' Moments, According To Jim Carrey

Sonic The Hedgehog Will Have 'Edgy' Moments, According To Jim Carrey

Unlike his more squeaky clean and family-friendly Nintendo counterpart Mario, Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog has always seemed cooler, more mature and rocked way more attitude. As the Blue Blur prepares to make his big screen debut in November’s Sonic the Hedgehog, it is natural to wonder if he will retain the qualities that once had many kids swearing allegiance to Team Sega. According to Jim Carrey, who plays Dr. Ivo Robotnik, Sonic the Hedgehog will have ‘edgy’ moments, as he explained:

We're playing to families, so you can't get too crazy. But I made sure that there are some winks and nods, and edgy things that are still acceptable to both age groups.

First and foremost, Jim Carrey told IMDb that Sonic the Hedgehog is geared towards families, so anyone hoping for a dark, R-rated adaptation that has Sonic flipping people off as he speeds by will want to temper those expectations. Sonic the Hedgehog will be a family-friendly, four-quadrant movie, but that doesn’t mean it won’t have an edge to it, and Jim Carrey is making sure that it does.

The actor who plays the villainous Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman if you prefer, made sure that, at least in his performance, there are some edgier things for audiences to pick up on that will appeal to the older crowd, while simultaneously not making Sonic the Hedgehog unsuitable for younger viewers. That he will be delivering some of the film’s edgy moments just adds to the exciting prospect of seeing Jim Carrey chewing the scenery as the villainous mad scientist.

With Deadpool and Terminator: Dark Fate director Tim Miller executive producing Sonic the Hedgehog, hopefully that edge exists throughout the film and not just in Jim Carrey’s character. Because although this will obviously be a film meant to appeal to kids, I think there is still a desire for it to feel cool and have some attitude to it. And there are ways to have that edge without taking the movie out of the family-friendly Green Hill Zone.

What Jim Carrey describes is a quality that all the best family-friendly films have. Lots of kid movies are a slog to sit through because they are only appealing to kids in a very simplistic fashion, but when a good movie has a compelling story with subtext, references or winks to things that work on another level for adults, that edge makes the movie great for everyone.

If Sonic the Hedgehog is able to achieve that it will be half the battle. Although there have been some highly controversial posters for the film so far (perhaps not the edginess they were looking for), we are still waiting on a trailer for the movie. When it arrives, hopefully we’ll get a taste of what Jim Carrey is alluding to with some edgy moments that inspire confidence in this latest attempt to make a great video game movie.

Sonic the Hedgehog races into theaters on November 8. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed your way this year.

John Wick 3 Star Thinks Franchise Could Continue For Another 10 Years

John Wick 3 Star Thinks Franchise Could Continue For Another 10 Years

No one has said John Wick will be a trilogy. It's possible Keanu Reeves' John Wick will return after John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum for John Wick 4 or beyond. Director Chad Stahelski has said he'd be down to make a fourth John Wick film if the audience wants more. And we already know a TV series is in the works following The Continental hotel.

Ian McShane plays Winston, manger of the New York City hotel. He's currently promoting Hellboy, the Deadwood movie, and John Wick 3. During a game of Would You Rather, McShane was asked whether he'd rather see the Deadwood movie remade in 10 years or John Wick remade in 10 years.

Oh gosh. Probably in 10 years, John Wick would still be going. You never know, Keanu might be running the [Continental] hotel and everything by then. [...] John Wick, the world of John Wick is being explored in the next one. That will be more about the High Table, you find out more about him, his background, whatever. Preparing for who knows what the hell will happen next time. It gets bigger. I think you'll enjoy that too.

John Wick seems darn near invincible, but part of me wondered if John Wick 3 was going to wrap up the story and maybe even kill off the Patron Saint of Puppies. After all, there's a global contract out for John Wick. Even with Halle Berry's Sofia and her two dogs in the mix, supposedly on John's side, it's going to be tough for John to get out of this jam.

But Ian McShane spoke to Collider about John Wick as if Mr. Wick is still around after Parabellum. McShane also hinted to the film preparing for whatever happens next time. That gives me hope that John Wick 3 is just the latest chapter in a story that could continue for a while.

Another 10 years? Well, they do say Keanu Reeves is immortal. He hasn't aged much in the past 10 years, so when he's 64 I don't see any reason why he wouldn't still look and act the same.

As Ian McShane noted, John Wick 3 is meant to tell us more about John Wick's background. Anjelica Huston's new character is meant to play a role there, and she's also the Director of The High Table, the council of crime lords. Maybe she'll be on John's side too? Based on the trailers, Asia Kate Dillon's Adjudicator, another member of the High Table, is not exactly on John's side. And there are plenty of new assassins in the mix, including Mark Dacascos as a John Wick fan called Zero who is now out to kill his idol.

Here's more of what we know about John Wick 3 so far. It opens in theaters May 17, and will probably have a stronger opening than the initial projections. But we'll see. If you do want John Wick to continue for another 10 years, you'll have to show him some love at the box office. In December, Chad Stahelski told EW he would happily make a fourth John Wick film if the audience enjoys John Wick 3 and wants more...

Kristen Stewart Says Charlie's Angels Will Be 'Funny And Weird' Not Just 'Woke'

Kristen Stewart Says Charlie's Angels Will Be 'Funny And Weird' Not Just 'Woke'

Anytime you reboot a classic property, there are always questions about if it will maintain the spirit of the original source material and what made it special in the first place. For the upcoming Charlie’s Angels reboot from director Elizabeth Banks, the challenge is to do that while updating things for modern times and audiences. But lest you fear that the new Charlie’s Angels won’t be any fun, one of the film’s stars, Kristen Stewart, is assuring us that it will be. She said:

At one point I think we said it was woke and grounded, and everyone was like, ‘Wait, is it still fun?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah dude, obviously, it’s Charlie’s Angels.' ... And it’s funny and weird, too, so hopefully people have fun watching it.

Previously, Kristen Stewart mentioned that the new film would be very grounded and wouldn’t be quite as kitschy as what we are accustomed to with the franchise. She also mentioned the intentions of the film to show how women can work together. Taken as a whole, some may have read those comments as meaning that Charlie’s Angels would be a more serious film and one concerned with social issues, but not one that would be particularly fun.

Kristen Stewart must have heard some of the reaction to those comments, because when she spoke with Variety, she made it clear that the new Charlie’s Angels would still be well, Charlie’s Angels. Although it may not be the exact same as what came before (if it were, what would be the point?), it is still meant to be a fun and entertaining film that has some weirdness and makes audiences laugh.

By the sound of it, Kristen Stewart’s previous comments contained things that people latched on to and extrapolated to be indicative of the whole movie, and inaccurately so. The new Charlie’s Angels might not be as over the top campy as previous iterations, which might not work with modern audiences, but it isn’t going to be the Bourne franchise either.

From what Elizabeth Banks has said, it is the action that will be more grounded, and she has compared it to the Mission: Impossible franchise. The action-comedy will have more girl power as well because it technically takes place in the same universe as the previous films and series and sees the Townsend Agency expanded into an international operation with teams and Bosleys all over the world.

Being a part of that international crime-fighting organization might sound dangerous, but Kristen Stewart actually came out of Charlie’s Angels relatively unscathed, as she explained:

This is the first movie I’ve ever done that was pretty active and I did not injure myself. I usually ram my head against the entire movie and go, ‘Oh shit, my head broke.'

Despite playing a fairy tale princess and a character with the last name Swan during her career, grace may not be Kristen Stewart’s forte because she has been rather accident-prone in the past. The actress has suffered sprains, broken bones and cuts on films over the years. Thankfully, she managed to play a hard-partying and highly skilled spy in Charlie's Angels without injuring herself or suffering a broken head, which may not be the proper medical term.

Charlie’s Angels arrives in theaters on November 15. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see everything headed your way this summer, and for all the latest movie news, keep it locked to CinemaBlend.

A Website Is Going To Pay Someone To Binge The First 20 MCU Movies

A Website Is Going To Pay Someone To Binge The First 20 MCU Movies

The clock is ticking down to the premiere of Avengers: Endgame and the hype is real. There are no doubt a number of fans who are planning their own personal rewatch of the MCU, be it just a couple of their favorites or the entire library of movies. Well, if you're going watch all of them anyway, you might as well get paid to do it. One website is offering one fan the opportunity to binge 20 MCU movies for $1,000 and a handful of other prizes.

Movie marathons are a fun way to celebrate a particular series, and there's no grander marathon than the MCU. After more than 10 years, the cinematic universe consists of 21 films, one which is in theaters right now. To undertake a rewatch of these films is a daunting task, but if you are going to be paid $1,000, it probably gets a little easier.

A website called CableTV is offering one fan the chance at what it calls a "Dream Job." The site wants someone to watch 20 MCU films in preparation for Avengers: Endgame. Captain Marvel isn't included because it is in theaters now and doesn't have a DVD. That's still over 40 hours of content, truly testing the might of the superfan CableTV is looking for.

If you are selected for the binge, you will be paid $1,000 (thats 50 bucks per movie) and CableTV will send you a ton of additional prizes. The fan will receive every MCU movie on Blu-ray (the three boxsets, specifically, plus the films not collected in those sets). Additionally, they will get a Captain America popcorn popper, an Infinity Gauntlet mug, an Iron Man snuggie, and a $100 Grubhub gift card.

The only requirements are that the fan has to be 18 years or older, a U.S. citizen, and an "active, outgoing social media personality," according to the site. The social media part is important because the selected fan will have to live-tweet their experience and tag CableTV in all of their posts.

To apply for the contracted position, you have to submit a 200 word essay making your case and proving your MCU expertise and fandom. If you want extra brownie points, you can also submit a video message. Should you be selected, you will have three days to watch all the movies, so you will get some amount of sleep.

I once tried to watch four MCU films in a row and it was emotionally and physically exhausting, so good luck to whoever can watch 20 of them.

For the rest of us, we'll just have to watch the movies with no promise of a pay check like a bunch of animals. Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26. To learn more about the film, here's what we know so far.