Avengers: Endgame Directors Reveal Why Captain America Chose SPOILER in the Final Scene

The original heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Journey finally ended their decade-long journey with the release of Avengers: Endgame, which saw Earth’s Mightiest Heroes duke it out in a rematch with Thanos for the fate of the galaxy. And while some heroes didn’t make it out alive, others decided to move on in different directions. But the film did set up a new group of heroes to take charge in the next phase of movies and series.

But there’s one particular mantle that was passed that fans might want to know about, and it has to do with the emotional final scene in Avengers: Endgame. And now the directors Joe and Anthony Russo are opening up about why they included it.

Warning: Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame below.

At the end of the movie, Steve Rogers treks to the past to return the Infinity Stones to the places where the Avengers took them from, trekking all the way back to 1970 to put back the Space Stone. And after completing his mission, he decides to stay behind in the past and live the life that was taken from him when he first was frozen in the ice.

He then shows up in the present day to assure his friends Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes that he’s more than fine, and even passes on Cap’s legendary vibranium shield. And to a surprise to some fans, he gave it to the Falcon. The Russos spoke with USA TODAY about this decision, revealing why Steve chose Sam to take on the mantle instead of the Winter Soldier.

“So far as matching the level of integrity of Captain America, Sam is pound for pound as morally forthright as anyone in the Marvel universe. And Bucky’s a damaged character,” said Joe.

Anthony added that the bond between Sam and Steve that began in Captain America: Winter Soldier made Sam the right choice.

“Sam spends his time trying to repair other people who are broken by war, and it just feels like he has the same values as Captain America,” said Anthony.

We’ll likely see the next step in this major transition when Marvel Studios debuts the Falcon and Winter Soldier series on Disney+.

Avengers: Endgame is now playing in theaters. You can catch our own Q&A with the director next week, when Game Over: An Evening With Joe Russo airs on Facebook Live on Monday, May 6th.

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