Marvel Studios are masters of creating trailers that make it appear their films will go a certain direction, only to feature something else entirely in the actual film. Avengers: Endgame joins these films in the swerving department as it had huge surprises in store for fans.
Characters who we thought would be the primetime players weren’t as important, while some other characters ended up being extremely vital to the plot. With the film out now, it’s time to discuss everything we witnessed, and with that comes the analysis of the characters’ impact on the story. Before reading through this list, be warned; there are major spoilers to Avengers: Endgame. So, here’s your spoiler alert!
Larger Role: Nebula
Nebula was the star of the Guardians of the Galaxy clan in this film. She had the most screentime out of all the Guardians and even had two versions of her in the story. She’s always been known mainly as the sister of Gamora, with little to no characterization other than that, but Avengers: Endgame gave her a lovely arc of self-reflection.
We were shown how much she had changed from the helpless tool she used to be for Thanos, and her genuine intention to do good after decades of evil actions. Audiences can find Nebula in the movie after every few scenes; on Earth, in 2014, on Morag, and the eventual conclusion of the film.
Didn’t: Okoye
There had been a significant outcry from people on the internet for the exclusion of Danai Guirira’s billing from the Avengers: Endgame posters, but we know now why she wasn’t given that level of importance. Okoye has basically nothing to do in the film. While Avengers: Infinity War left us with the feeling that Okoye might take up the mantle of Black Panther in this film, she wasn’t even seen again after her conversation with Black Widow at the beginning, right up until the final battle. Even in the last battle, she had a very minimal role to play, and we could’ve had this film without her.
Larger Role: War Machine
Like Nebula, War Machine’s characterization has solely been reliant on his association with a more important hero. In this film, though, War Machine had hardly any scenes with Iron Man, and he was along for the entire ride for the collection of the Infinity Stones. War Machine also had deeper relationships with Nebula and Rocket, as he empathized with Nebula’s emotional pain and tried to hold a brave face for Rocket’s benefit when they thought they were about to drown. It was thought War Machine would mainly be a supporting hero, but he made sure to stick around for all the important bits. He was one of the people who took out Thanos on Titan II, and was involved in every other significant event.
Didn’t: Captain Marvel
Kevin Feige really played up Captain Marvel’s powers in the lead-up to Avengers: Endgame, and Captain Marvel film’s release right before Endgame’s premiere made everyone think she’d be a key player here.
However, like Okoye, Captain Marvel wasn’t seen again after her conversation with Black Widow. She lent a helpful hand in taking out Thanos in the first fifteen minutes, and only returned in the end to fight Thanos again. But Captain Marvel’s powers weren’t even centerstage either, as everyone thought they might be. She briefly overpowered Thanos, only to be punched into the sky with the Power Stone. All in all, the trailers and promotional material hyped her up too much for very little presence.
Larger Role: Rocket
Although Rocket has had a significant role in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, his main contribution has always been to be a comedy player. This was why most of us thought he’d only be in it for the jokes in Avengers: Endgame, or maybe only provide tech support.
Rocket exceeded all expectations as he went all the way to Asgard and was the one responsible for getting the Reality Stone. It was also believed his role would’ve seen him mourn Groot for the most part, but Rocket didn’t dilly-dally over that, instead being a friend to Thor when he needed one. His role was significant enough for Thor to join the Guardians of the Galaxy because of their friendship.
Didn’t: Bruce Banner
Some might be thinking that Hulk did have a meaty enough role, but when we stack it up against the other original Avengers, we realize he was really only given a secondary role. We never saw the event that led to the “Professor Hulk” decision he settled on; instead, this was passed on in the dialogue, and for some laughs. The Bruce Banner persona only lasted the first fifteen minutes, after which he was briefly seen when talking to the Ancient One. In the end, he didn’t even get to have a talk with Old Man Captain America, nor did he have a reconciliation with Black Widow. He also didn’t have a moment with Tony Stark before his death and was standing way back at his funeral.
Larger Role: Ant-Man
This guy was the MVP of Avengers: Endgame. Not only was he around for all of the action, but Ant-Man was also the sole reason why Thanos was defeated in the end. Had he not convinced everyone to time travel—or go with the “Time Heist”, as he prefers to call it—then half of all life would’ve remained dead.
The trailers made it seem like he would fill the role of comic relief, or he would only be one of the supporting heroes, but Ant-Man had heavy emotional scenes in his reunion with his daughter and was responsible for saving Hulk, War Machine, and Rocket.
Didn’t: Black Widow
Yes, her sacrifice was vital in bringing everyone back, as without it there would have been no Soul Stone, but Black Widow died an hour before the film’s conclusion. All in all, she was only there for the beginning, and then went on the Time Heist to her demise.
We expected her to be the leader of the female portion of the heroes, and for her to have her romantic reconciliation with Bruce; neither of the two happened since Black Widow died before the final battle, and her romance with Bruce was never referenced. She definitely had an impact on the story, but the part wasn’t large in the sense that she died too soon.
Larger Role: Gamora
People figured that since Gamora was heavily featured in Avengers: Infinity War and met her end in that film, she’d only appear right at the end of Avengers: Endgame when all the people were brought back.
In the end, she wasn’t brought back, and her role was quite large compared to our expectations. Gamora’s story now takes an interesting turn as her 2014 version is the primary one in the universe. Her role in helping Nebula was the reason why they could get the Gauntlet from the 2014 version of Nebula, and she even had a scene with Star-Lord. It was quite a radical swerve from what people thought her role would be.
Didn’t: Thanos
Thanos was unquestionably the main character of Avengers: Infinity War, as he featured in almost every scene in that film and ended up winning the whole thing. Cut to Avengers: Endgame, and Thanos was killed in the first scene in which we saw him. He wasn’t seen at all until very near the end when the 2014 version of Thanos took the role of the villain. We all thought Thanos would be heavily featured this time around as well, with theories ranging from him time traveling in pursuit of the Avengers or controlling people in the Soul world, but his role this time was just to complete the final battle.
