WARNING: SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME AHEAD

We all knew that Avengers: Endgame would be the epic conclusion to a long cinematic journey that started way back in May of 2008 with the release of Iron Man. Since then the MCU had been building up to this incredible moment where some of our favorite characters we have spent years following finally came together to take on Thanos. Without a doubt two of the most popular characters right now in the MCU are Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman and Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson. So why didn’t they get a bigger role in Avengers: Endgame?

The New York Times sat down with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and talked about this question. The answer is actually quite simple, the timing wasn’t right.

“There wasn’t a lot of time to adjust. It’s not like we could say, ‘Hurry, put Shuri in there.’ We started [filming ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’], and then ‘Black Panther’ started, we’re still going. They finish. We’re still going”, said McFeely. The rise of Black Panther’s popularity shifted during the time they were putting together Avengers: Infinity War. By then it was too late for them to shift some of the story’s focus to some of these characters from Wakanda. “When we’re doing the tests [before Black Panther opened], and Cap goes, ‘I know somewhere,’ and then you cut to Wakanda, the audience goes, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’ But when you do those tests after the movie comes out, all you have to do is [makes drumming noises] and people freak out.”

With Captain Marvel, it makes even more sense as her role in Avengers: Endgame was already set even before her solo film was finished being put together. “Same issue with Captain Marvel,” McFeely said. “We shot [Brie Larson] before she shot her movie. She’s saying lines for a character 20 years after her origin story, which no one’s written yet. It’s just nuts. Certainly, Captain Marvel is in [Endgame] a little less than you would have thought. But that’s not the story we’re trying to tell — it’s the original Avengers dealing with loss and coming to a conclusion, and she’s the new, fresh blood.”

We need to keep in mind that Black Panther’s solo film barely came out early last year a few months before Avengers: Infinity War and Captain Marvel came out earlier this year, leaving the creative teams no time to make adjustments on plans that were already set years ago. Either way we know that this latest film was the final chapter for some of our long time favorite characters we have followed in the MCU for years. Characters like Black Panther and Captain Marvel are as McFeely said “fresh blood”. So we will still get to enjoy them for years to come (hopefully).

How did you feel about their screen time in Avengers: Endgame? Let us know in the comment section below!

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Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame is now playing in theaters everywhere!

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Source: The New York Times