Avengers: Endgame (2019): Cast, Plot and Ending Explained
Avengers: Endgame (2019), directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, is the Marvel Studios film in which the surviving Avengers try to undo Thanos's snap. It opened in US theaters on April 26, 2019, ran 181 minutes and earned about $2.94 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. It is release order film 21 and chronological order film 22 in the MCU, following Avengers: Infinity War directly, and the marvel movies in order guide shows where everything else fits.
Avengers Endgame follows the surviving Avengers as they try to undo Thanos's snap, which wiped out half of all life. The story opens five years after that loss, with the heroes grieving and scattered. Tony Stark has retired to a quiet family life, Steve Rogers leads a support group for survivors, and Thor has withdrawn to a settlement on Earth.
The turn comes when Scott Lang escapes the quantum realm and learns that years have passed outside. He brings the team a theory that the quantum realm could allow travel through time, and the remaining heroes begin to think they might be able to undo the loss. If you are new to the saga, avengers infinity war (2018) is the film that sets all of this up, so it is the one to watch first. The film is rated PG-13 in the US, 12A in the UK and M in Australia.
Steve Gan, Jim Starlin, Joe Simon, Keith Giffen, Stan Lee, Don Heck, Steve Englehart, Jack Kirby, Bill Mantlo, Larry Lieber, Stephen McFeely, Christopher Markus
What Songs Are in Avengers: Endgame? Soundtrack and Score
Alan Silvestri composed the score for Avengers: Endgame, and the music appears on the album "Avengers: Endgame (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)", released by Hollywood Records on April 25, 2019. That album is a score release with 35 tracks, so it collects Silvestri's orchestral work for the film rather than the licensed songs.
Seven songs are credited as featured in Avengers: Endgame:
"Dear Mr. Fantasy" by Traffic
"Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone
"It's Been a Long, Long Time" by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn
"Doom and Gloom" by The Rolling Stones
"Hey Lawdy Mama" by Steppenwolf
"Supersonic Rocket Ship" by The Kinks
"Make Way for Tomorrow Today" by Richard Sherman
The lineup runs from Traffic and Redbone through The Rolling Stones, Steppenwolf and The Kinks, with Richard Sherman and the songwriting pair of Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn also credited. Each song is credited to its own artist or writers, separate from Silvestri's score, so the score album is the place to hear his music for the film.
If you want to compare this score with the music of the other films in the saga, the full catalog of composers, albums and songs sits on the Marvel soundtrack page on Cinvibe.
In full, Avengers Endgame moves from grief to a time heist to a final battle. After the snap, the surviving Avengers track Thanos down and discover that he has destroyed the Infinity Stones so that nobody can use them again. Five years later, Scott Lang returns from the quantum realm and proposes a way to travel through time. Tony Stark works out a time machine, and the team plans to collect the Stones from the past and use them to reverse the snap.
Groups then travel to different moments in history to retrieve each Stone, and several of the missions go wrong and cost them dearly. The heaviest price is paid by Natasha Romanoff, who gives up her life so that Clint Barton can obtain the Soul Stone. With the Stones gathered in a gauntlet, Bruce Banner uses it to bring everyone back.
The danger does not end there. A version of Thanos from the past learns of the plan and attacks the Avengers' base, and a huge battle follows, with returned heroes, allies and armies joining the fight against Thanos and his forces. Tony takes the Stones, snaps his fingers to erase Thanos and his army, and dies from the strain. The survivors hold a funeral for him. Steve then returns the Stones to their original times and chooses to stay in the past and live a full life, and he later passes his shield to Sam Wilson as an old man.
Avengers Endgame Release Date, Premiere and Box Office
Avengers: Endgame opened in US theaters on April 26, 2019, after a world premiere on Monday, April 22, 2019 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The UK release was April 25 and the Australian release April 24 (both reported dates), one and two days ahead of the US. For the premiere, Hall K was converted into a 2,000 seat theater with a 70 foot screen.
The opening broke records. The film launched on 4,662 screens in the US and Canada, the widest release in box office history at the time, and its Thursday previews took a record $60 million. Box Office Mojo lists a domestic opening of $357 million.
Was it a hit? Box Office Mojo lists $898 million domestic and $2.04 billion international, for $2.94 billion worldwide against a $356 million budget. The Numbers lists $2.94 billion, which rounds to the same figure. Box Office Mojo's totals include a September 2026 re-release, so the film returned to theaters that month. Showtimes for any further encore run are set cinema by cinema, so local listings are the place to check. The film also streams on Disney Plus in the US, UK and Australia, and the where to watch marvel guide tracks rentals and purchases.
Avengers Endgame Ending ExplainedSpoilers
The ending of Avengers Endgame is simple to state: Tony Stark uses the Stones to erase Thanos and his army, the universe is restored, Tony dies, and Steve Rogers chooses a life in the past. Steve goes back to return the Stones, lives out his life with Peggy Carter, and comes back as an elderly man to hand his shield to Sam Wilson, who becomes the new Captain America.
Why does Tony take the final snap? In my opinion, because the saga has been steering him there since Iron Man (2008), where Robert Downey Jr. introduced him as a weapons maker. By the end he is the man who worked out the time machine, and he pays for it with his life. It could be argued that this is the cleanest arc in the franchise, since it begins and ends with the same actor.
Steve's exit is the more debated choice. Chris Evans played him from Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), where Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter was a central figure, so staying with her closes a loop the first film opened. Perhaps the handover costs the story a little, because the shield passes to Sam Wilson in a quiet scene rather than a fight. Even so, the practical answer to what happens to the Avengers after Endgame is a generational one. Anthony Mackie leads captain america brave new world (2025) as Sam Wilson / Captain America.
As for Natasha, her sacrifice is the film's price for the Soul Stone, and black widow 2021 is set earlier in the timeline (chronological film 16), so it reads as a prequel rather than a sequel. For what comes next, avengers doomsday releases exclusively in theaters on December 18, 2026, according to Disney, and TheWrap reported that Avengers: Secret Wars moved to December 17, 2027. If you want the whole map, start with the marvel timeline.
Where Was Avengers Endgame Filmed?
Most of Avengers Endgame was shot at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia, with Atlanta supplying city exteriors. Two British locations supplied Asgard and New Asgard.
Durham Cathedral, England: used for three scenes, with the nave standing in for Thor's visit to Asgard, the Galilee Chapel as a palace room with a green screen wall, and the cloister, according to the cathedral.
St Abbs, Scotland: the village stood in for New Asgard, in a week-long shoot that followed the night scenes filmed in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh, Scotland: night scenes.
Avengers Endgame Trivia: Cameras, Screens and Records
Avengers Endgame set several release and production marks that are easy to check.
The film was shot entirely with IMAX certified cameras, using a custom 6K version of ARRI's Alexa 65, following Infinity War.
It opened on 4,662 screens in the US and Canada, the widest release in box office history at the time.
Its Thursday previews grossed a record $60 million.
Box Office Mojo lists a domestic opening of $357 million.
The world premiere used Hall K of the Los Angeles Convention Center, converted into a 2,000 seat theater with a 70 foot screen.
Box Office Mojo's worldwide total of $2.94 billion includes the September 2026 re-release.
Chris Evans, who played Steve Rogers, later appeared in deadpool and wolverine (2024) as Johnny Storm.
It was a commercial hit. According to Box Office Mojo it earned about $2.94 billion worldwide on a $356 million budget, with $898 million domestic and $2.04 billion international. The Numbers lists $2.94 billion, which rounds to the same figure. Box Office Mojo's totals include a September 2026 re-release.
What was the ending of Avengers: Endgame?
Spoiler warning. Tony Stark uses the Infinity Stones to erase Thanos and his army, which restores the universe, and he dies from the strain. Steve Rogers returns the Stones, stays in the past to live with Peggy Carter, and later gives his shield to Sam Wilson.
Is there going to be another Avengers after Endgame?
Yes. Avengers: Doomsday releases exclusively in theaters on December 18, 2026, according to Disney. TheWrap reported that Avengers: Secret Wars moved to December 17, 2027.
Why did Chris Evans quit Marvel?
Steve Rogers's story ends inside the film, when he stays in the past and passes his shield to Sam Wilson. Evans has not left the franchise entirely, since he appeared as Johnny Storm in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).
Who finally killed Thanos?
Spoiler warning. Tony Stark did. After a version of Thanos from the past attacks the Avengers' base, Tony takes the Stones and snaps his fingers, which erases Thanos and his army. Tony dies from the strain.
What happens to the Avengers after Endgame?
Spoiler warning. Sam Wilson becomes the new Captain America, and Anthony Mackie plays him in Captain America: Brave New World (2025). Peter Parker's story continues in the Spider-Man films, starting with Spider-Man: Far From Home, and the Avengers return in Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, 2026.
