Avengers: Endgame’s Forgotten Mystery Was Almost Answered in a Scrapped Thunderbolts* Plan

Thunderbolts* introduces the MCU‘s New Avengers, but it also came close to answering one mystery about the original heroes after Avengers: Endgame. Phases 4 and 5 have continually built on Endgame, from revealing Black Widow’s sister, Yelena Belova, to honoring Iron Man’s legacy, and bringing back Hawkeye, Thor, and Hulk for further adventures. The lingering impact of that movie and Infinity War has defined what happened next, and yet, not everything has been neatly resolved.

One such example is what happened to Captain America’s original shield. While Steve Rogers gave Sam Wilson a shield at the very end of the movie, designating him the new Cap, that wasn’t the one he’d used throughout most of the movie and, indeed, the majority of his time in the MCU. That shield was broken by Thanos during the Battle of Earth, but one plan for Thunderbolts* would’ve had it reveal that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine had gotten her hands on it, having it displayed in Stark Avengers The Watchtower. This comes from the book Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts: The Art of The Movie, via The Artbook Collector on YouTube.

The Captain America Shield Plan Shows How Powerful Val Is

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Ultimately, the plan was scrapped, but this does highlight just how great Val’s influence is. Thunderbolts* had already established her as a collector of Avengers artefacts: she hosts a Battle of New York exhibition in the movie, which includes Loki’s scepter (sans Mind Stone, of course), Chitauri cuffs, and the giant letter “A” from Stark/Avengers Tower. While not easy to make out specifics, there also appears to be more memorabilia in the Watchtower when the Thunderbolts arrive and first face The Sentry.

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Still, Captain America’s shield from Endgame would’ve been even more impressive, because of another Phase 5 reveal: that Nick Fury had a team of Skrulls sweep the battlefield, primarily for Avengers DNA. It’s surprising they would’ve left the shield behind, but it’s possible Val was able to get there even before Fury was. This is, after all, the person who developed Project Sentry, and is now Director of the CIA with the power to launch a new Avengers team, so it’s clear her reach extends far across the MCU. That might change slightly after Thunderbolts*‘ ending, however, given Yelena tells Val that they own her now.

What’s also notable is the fact that Cap’s shield didn’t make it into the finished movie. While it may simply have been considered unnecessary, it does fit with the MCU’s approach to Steve Rogers post-Endgame, which is one of secrecy. Marvel has never confirmed whether he did create a new branched timeline or not (something the Russos and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely disagree on). Similarly, it’s provided no firm updates on where old Steve is now, and whether he’s dead, back in another timeline, living in peace, or… on the moon.

Clearly, Marvel doesn’t want to hint too much at what happened, and that could even include not showing his old shield. Of course, that might all change if and when Chris Evans does return, with rumors continuing to swirl about his involvement in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Thunderbolts* is now streaming on Disney+.

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