Avengers: Endgame Director Clarifies Aging Process During Five Year Time Jump

Avengers: Endgame left some members of its audience wondering how the five-year time jump would impact the character who were snapped away by Thanos and those who weren't. When Thanos snapped his fingers in Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War, half of the universe ceased to live while the other half carried on and aged for five years. So, when the half that disappeared was brought back, would they have aged like the rest of the beings who didn't? No.

On the Avengers: Endgame commentary track attached to the digital downloads and blu-ray copies of the movie, the creatives behind thee sprawling narrative went into detail in regards to how the "Snaps" would affect characters.

"We know how powerful Thanos is by his quick defeat of the Hulk in Infinity War," Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo explained. "So, this is an incredibly painful experience, to put on the Gauntlet that controls the universe, and it permanently damages the most powerful beings and some of the most powerful creatures in these movies. And very very few people can actually put that on and survive."

"Which means if a regular human puts it on, he's a goner," co-wrtier Stephen McFeely said. "That's all set up for the end of the movie."

"Also which was set up, right before he put the Gauntlet on, was Tony Stark saying that everyone comes back to now," Joe Russo added. "'Do not erase what happened. I do not want to lose my child.' So you bring them back. They miss five years."

This is where some of the confusion came in for some audiences. "'That's the thing. I think some test audiences thought, 'Oh did we just go back five years?'" McFelly saidl. "And no."

"No, we did not," Joe Russo added.

"We own those five years," McFeely concluded.

Then, the explanation for those who returned: "And they did not age five years. The people were gone. They just were brought back to the exact moment at which they went away, but five years later. So, Peter Parker is still a high-schooler. Ned, his buddy, is still a high-schooler. Because both of them had disappeared."

This was on display in Spider-Man: Far From Home, which saw Peter Parker reuniting with most of his classmates from high school as the group which was snapped away was still in high school and ready for a field trip abroad.

What questions do you still have about Avengers: Endgame? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram and Twitter!

Avengers: Endgame is available now on digital downloads and on blu-ray on August 13.