Over the weekend, Marvel Studios reminded fans how good we all had it with the big-screen return of Avengers: Endgame, a triumph of comic book storytelling that culminated several phases of MCU lore into a satisfying conclusion to the Infinity Saga. The Avengers: Endgame Encore earned roughly $26 million in its celebrated return, assisted by four new scenes that connect the existing film to this December’s anticipated release, Avengers: Doomsday.
Going back to revisit Avengers: Endgame helps bring up so many questions we had about the MCU at that time. So it was a pleasure to connect with Joe and Anthony Russo on the weekend their record-setting blockbuster was to return to theaters, to dig into where they have been – as well as where they are going. In our conversation, CBR and The Russos discussed their take on Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and how they handled the Guardians of the Galaxy.
CBR Exclusive · Quiz
WHICH MARVEL CHARACTER ARE YOU?
Your Powers Are About to Be Revealed
The Marvel Universe is full of extraordinary people — genius billionaires, super-soldiers, sorcerers, and gods. Twenty questions stand between you and the truth. Answer honestly. Your true self will assemble.
⚡Iron Man
🛡️Captain America
🗡️Black Widow
☘️Thor
🕷️Spider-Man
FIND OUT WHICH HERO YOU ARE →
01
You’re outnumbered and outgunned. What do you do?
A hero’s instinct is defined in their darkest moment.
AImprovise a solution on the spot — I always find a way.
BStand my ground. Someone has to hold the line.
CAssess the threat, identify the weakness, strike precisely.
DCall down the storm. Power solves most problems.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
02
Your team disagrees with your plan. How do you handle it?
Every Avenger has their own idea of teamwork.
AListen, adapt — the best plan wins, whoever thought of it.
BMy plan is right. I’ll convince them or go alone.
CBuild consensus. Unity is our greatest strength.
DObserve the disagreement — the truth usually becomes obvious.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
03
What does your hero identity mean to you?
The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
AIt’s my brand. My name is the message.
BIt’s a symbol — bigger than any one person.
CIt keeps the people I love safe. Anonymity is armor.
DI am who I am, wherever I go. No disguise needed.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
04
How do you typically make big decisions?
A hero’s process shapes their outcome.
ARun the data, model the outcomes, pick the optimal path.
BAsk: what’s the right thing to do? Then do it.
CGather intel, weigh every variable, then commit.
DTrust my gut — experience and power get me through.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
05
Someone takes credit for your work in front of everyone. You:
Pride is the armor and the weakness of every hero.
ACorrect the record immediately — with receipts.
BLet it go. The mission matters, not the glory.
CFile it away and address it privately, strategically.
DLaugh it off. My reputation speaks for itself.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
06
A government agency wants to oversee your activities. Your response?
Accountability is the line every hero must face.
ASign nothing. I answer to my own moral code.
BOversight makes sense — even heroes need checks.
CCooperate on my terms. I choose what I share.
DI operate above earthly jurisdictions.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
07
When facing a villain, your strategy is:
Every fighter has a philosophy.
AOverwhelm them with superior tech and tactics.
BShield up, take the hits, look for the opening.
CGet inside their head — information wins fights before they start.
DHit first, hit hard — lightning ends it fast.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
08
Your biggest personal flaw is:
Every hero has a crack in the armor.
AMy ego — I sometimes think I’m the smartest person in the room. (I usually am.)
BStubbornness — when I believe in something, I don’t bend.
CI keep people at arm’s length. Trust is a liability.
DArrogance — I had to learn humility the hard way.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
09
A rookie hero is overwhelmed on their first mission. You:
How a hero mentors others reveals their character.
AJump in and handle it — debrief and mentor them after.
BTalk them through it step by step. They need to learn.
CCover their back silently — let them think they did it alone.
DInspire them with a rallying call. Belief is half the battle.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
10
What drives you more than anything else?
The “why” behind the hero is everything.
ALegacy — I want to prove I’m more than my past.
BDuty — protecting people is a responsibility, not a choice.
CSurvival — I protect myself and those close to me.
DHonor — I must be worthy of the power I carry.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
11
You’ve just suffered a crushing defeat. What’s next?
A hero is measured by how they get back up.
ARebuild and upgrade — I come back with a better suit.
BI could do this all day. Get back up and go again.
CRetreat, reassess — then return when the odds are mine.
DChannel the loss into fury. Wrath has its uses.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
12
You could end a threat permanently — but it crosses an ethical line. You:
The hardest choices define a hero from a weapon.
AFind a smarter solution that doesn’t require crossing that line.
BRefuse. There are lines I will never cross. Period.
CWeigh the numbers coldly. Sometimes the math is ugly.
DEscalate the power. No threat survives overwhelming force.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
13
What do you actually fear most?
Even the mightiest hero has something to lose.
AFailure — being the person who could have stopped it and didn’t.
BA world that loses its belief in what’s right.
CBeing truly known — and rejected for it.
DBecoming a monster. Losing control of my own power.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
14
People who just met you would describe you as:
First impressions carry a grain of truth.
ABrilliant, confident, maybe a little much — but magnetic.
BSolid, trustworthy — the kind of person you rally behind.
CReserved, sharp-eyed — clearly assessing everything.
DCommanding — the presence in the room everyone notices.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
15
What’s your ideal base of operations?
Where a hero operates reveals how they think.
AA state-of-the-art tower with every tool at my fingertips.
BWherever the mission takes me — I travel light.
CAn off-grid safe house. Low profile is the advantage.
DAn ancient palace above the clouds. I prefer altitude.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
16
What does “being a hero” actually mean to you?
The philosophy behind the power is the real definition.
AUsing your advantages to solve problems others can’t.
BDoing what’s right even when it costs you everything.
CProtecting people who can’t protect themselves — quietly.
DEarning the right to carry great power through sacrifice.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
17
What do you want to leave behind?
The mark a hero leaves is their truest measure.
ATechnology that protects humanity long after I’m gone.
BProof that one person’s character can change the world.
CA world where the next generation doesn’t need me.
DA realm that stands in peace, protected and free.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
18
Someone you love is in danger. Your first move is:
Crisis strips away everything but the truth.
ADeploy every asset immediately — no hesitation.
BPut myself between them and the threat. That’s the job.
CExtract them quietly. They never need to know I was there.
DSummon every ounce of power I have. Nothing is off the table.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
19
Your power — where does it come from?
Origin shapes destiny in the Marvel Universe.
AI built it. Every advantage I have, I engineered myself.
BIt was given to me. I chose to be worthy of it.
CIt’s earned through training, sacrifice, and sheer will.
DIt’s ancient — cosmic and beyond mortal understanding.
TRANSMIT ANSWER →
20
The final battle. Everything is on the line. You:
This is the moment that defines everything.
AMake the one genius move no one saw coming — even if it costs me.
BNever surrender. I fight until there’s nothing left in me.
CStrike from the shadows at the exact right moment.
DBring the full force of my power down. No holding back.
REVEAL MY HERO →
THE MARVEL UNIVERSE HAS SPOKEN
YOUR HERO IDENTITY
Your scores are shown below. The character with the highest number is your match. Read their description to discover which hero the universe chose for you.
⚡
Iron Man
🛡️
Cap. America
🗡️
Black Widow
☘️
Thor
🕷️
Spider-Man
Brilliant, driven, and uncompromising in your ambition. You believe that the right technology — in the right hands — can solve any problem, and you’re confident enough in your own abilities to back that up. Beneath the armor and the bravado, you carry the weight of responsibility deeply. When it truly matters, you’re willing to sacrifice everything.
Principled, courageous, and steadfast. You have an unshakeable sense of right and wrong, and no amount of pressure, politics, or power can make you compromise it. People trust you instinctively — not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it. You lead not by authority but by example, and you will always get back up.
Strategic, precise, and formidably self-reliant. You don’t need a suit or a superpower — your greatest weapon is your mind and your nerve. You keep your cards close, trust slowly, and operate three steps ahead of everyone else. Your past is complicated, but you’ve turned it into something that makes you nearly impossible to stop.
Powerful, honorable, and ultimately humbled by what truly matters. You came into your power believing it was your birthright — and then you learned it had to be earned. Your strength is immense, but your greatest growth came from learning to serve rather than reign. Loyal to your people, terrifying to your enemies, and always magnificent.
Quick-witted, deeply compassionate, and driven by a responsibility you didn’t ask for. You’ve learned the hard way that great power comes with great cost — and you show up anyway. You stay grounded when others would ascend, and your humanity is your greatest strength. You make it look effortless. It never is.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
But it was a conversation about Chris Evans’ Captain America that finally unearthed a massive truth about Avengers: Endgame, and conversations the brothers had about how to end the film. As it turns out, a very popular storyline involving Marvel’s first Avenger almost came to pass, and Joe Russo tells CBR why they decided against it.
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers’ Captain America on the battlefield in Avengers EndgameImage via Marvel Studios
‘We Did Circle It For a Long Time’
By now, anyone reading this far knows that at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Captain America agrees to travel back in time and return the Infinity Stones to the exact moment where the Avengers “borrowed” them, which erases the branched timeline and theoretically prevents catastrophe.
Ever since Endgame ended that way, though, Marvel fans have asked for a project – either a Disney+ show or even a movie – that showed Chris Evans’ Cap returning the Stones, and maybe getting into all sorts of adventures. Think of it like Loki, which also began where the villain (played by Tom Hiddleston) exited Avengers: Endgame.
So when I had time with the Russo Brothers to discuss all things Endgame, I did ask them if there were any conversations around having Steve Rogers encounter his nemesis, The Red Skull, on Vormir. And Joe Russo told CBR:
We did have that conversation. There might have even been… I think we toyed around with an idea of like, ‘Is there a montage where he puts the stones back?’ We felt like it just played past the ending. We were like, ‘It seems like much more complicated than a montage could sustain.’ And so we didn’t do it.
Joe’s brother and co-director Anthony Russo added:
We did circle it for a long time, that idea.
This makes a lot of sense. Just the idea of sending Captain America back through time to return the Infinity Stones is intriguing enough for a multi-episode Disney+ show (even though it sounds like Marvel and Disney are scaling back on streaming properties). Back when we didn’t know that Chris Evans was a big part of Avengers: Doomsday, I personally thought that “Cap and The Stones” would be the way that Marvel would bring Evans back to the MCU. It would be a self-contained story. It wouldn’t have to impact the ongoing MCU main line. And you get more Evans in his signature role.
I don’t think I’m alone in thinking this way, because when I mention the idea to the Russo Brothers, Joe replied to me:
I think that’s a great idea. How about a movie?
Could this be a movie that the Russo Brothers do after they deliver Avengers: Secret Wars? We know they like working with Evans. They started in the MCU on Captain America movies, and they teed themselves up for this possible adventure. We also know that Steve Rogers staying in the past with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) causes disruptions, hence the appearance of Loki in the Endgame Encore end credits. That thread will be picked up in Avengers: Doomsday.
Somewhere deep down, I knew that the Russo Brothers had at least considered showing us Steve Rogers attempting to return the Infinity Stones in the past. Mainly because you don’t put Red Skull on Vormir without trying to show Captain America finding him there. But also, there’s just so much potential for MCU stories that rip narratives from the comics by restaging some of these incredible sequences. I guess we will see if this ever comes to pass. As Joe Russo says, “How about a movie?”
Avengers: Endgame is playing in theaters right now, and Avengers: Doomsday will open in theaters beginning on December 16 in the UK.
Release Date
April 26, 2019
Runtime
181 Minutes
Director
Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Robert Downey Jr.
Tony Stark / Iron Man
Steve Rogers / Captain America