Marvel’s Kevin Feige on the Avengers: Endgame Moment That Took on New Meaning During the Pandemic

April of 2020 marked the first anniversary of the conclusion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s “Infinity Saga,” though it also marked a month since people around the world had begun to fully grasp the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown procedures. While fans were quick to celebrate the anniversary of the release of Avengers: Endgame, sharing videos of packed movie theaters reacting to the film’s final moments, it served not only as a reminder of the film’s accomplishments, but also a reflection of the joy of seeing such films in communal settings, with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently reflecting on the impact of those shared experiences.

“It was amazing. Relatively early on in the lockdown, in the pandemic, that clip from inside the audience at an Avengers: Endgame first theatrical run [screening] went viral,” Feige shared with Rotten Tomatoes about his response to the clips. “And the people cheering for the ‘on your left’ moment and when the portals opened up, it was wonderful because it reminded me of Endgame and the year before, I think I was in one of those theaters where somebody had recorded that, so that feeling was very special. But coming in the midst of this pandemic, when we had spent so much time in our homes, not surrounded by other people, it was a wonderful reminder of community and of a shared experience.”

He continued, “And, certainly, we’ve all shared the pandemic experience apart, but that clip did take on new meaning, even for me personally during last year. Not just the memory of the year before and the wonderful achievement that the Russo brothers and our entire cast and everybody at Marvel Studios pulled off with Endgame, but a promise of the future and of being in a theater again and having a shared experience like that someday in the future gave us hope.”

The filmmaker would go on to note how, with each entry into the MCU, regardless of the narrative or characters involved, the goal is always to deliver audiences those moments and theatrical experiences that we’ll remember for years to come.

“Every time we make a film, it is with the expectation of delivering on a promise. Delivering on the promise of an experience, to be experienced together in a theater,” Feige expressed. “And seeing where people laugh and where people get very quiet and still or where people cheer, if we should be so lucky, in moments in a movie, we spend years and years trying to work up to those moments and being in a theater and seeing it happen, there’s nothing better. So every decision we make is from the point of view of being in a crowded theater and experiencing the story.”

Marvel Studios’ latest film, Black Widow, is now in theaters and on Disney Premier Access.

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