Whatever it takes: the mantra of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Endgame and, presumably, those looking to hunt down every last secret that movie has to offer. Remarkably, months after release (and thanks to the new Endgame home release, out today in the US), one eagle-eyed fan has spotted a brand-new time travel destination hiding in the movie. Who’s up for a 3,000-year trip to the past?
Reddit user kobikwahbz has discovered that, during 2014 Nebula’s plans to bring Thanos to Avengers HQ in 2023, a log of all the time jumps the Avengers have used during Endgame flash up on the quantum machine’s screen. 2012 is there, obviously referencing the Battle of New York, though so is 2988 BC. What gives?
Thanks to the sleuths of Reddit, it’s been revealed that 2988 BC marks the exact date when the forces of Asgard beat back Malkeith, the villain of Thor: The Dark World, for the first time. It’s a plot point that comes up again in the Thor sequel, but it’s important here because it also marks the first chronological MCU appearance of an Infinity Stone, specifically the Reality Aether. Plans may have been in place for the Avengers to bypass Jane Foster and head back to a different point in time entirely.
The Avengers: Endgame writers have previously been more than open about the plans that never made it past the drafting stage – including beheading Captain America and a Thor vs. Thor fight – so it stands to reason that this is of similar stock and it’s merely a goof that made its way into the finished product.
It also proves that there are still things yet to be discovered across the three-hour runtime. The Endgame directors have recently revealed there’s an “important” Easter egg that hasn’t been found, so keep looking – you never know what big secret might be lurking in the background.
