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"On your left." Those three words are part of the DNA of every Marvel fan and moviegoer who witnessed Avengers: Endgame's iconic portals scene. But it was almost very different.
Now, though, Endgame co-director Joe Russo has revealed the original plan for the climactic moment – and how they fought "for months" to change it in post-production.
"There was probably some debate regarding the most famous moment, I think, of all the Marvel films, which is the portals opening at the end of Avengers: Endgame," Russo told Empire magazine.
Instead of Anthony Mackie's Falcon appearing on Steve Rogers' left (a callback to their running scene together in Captain America: The Winter Soldier) followed by the constant opening of portals to reveal more of Marvel's revived heroes, the first cut saw "the camera rotated around Steve Rogers and everybody was collected behind him."
"I remember fighting that one for months in the edit room," Russo recalled. "I'm not going to say who was one what side, but that was a grinder. I remember [Anthony] and I going, 'Fuck it, we're going to shoot it during reshoots."
The portals scene was reworked in post-production (along with, famously, Robert Downey Jr'.s 'I Am Iron Man' one-liner) and the rest is history – even if Endgame writer Stephen McFeely freely admitted, "I thought the first cut worked pretty well."
McFeely added, "One of the lessons I've learned over the course of working with these guys and working with Marvel is emotional-logic trumps logic-logic. It's not a cop-out. It's what the movie wants. It's what your audience wants."
The Russos are all set to return to the MCU with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Joining them on the comeback trail is Robert Downey Jr., who is suiting up as Doctor Doom – and seemingly leaving his Tony Stark persona behind.
For more, check out the upcoming Marvel movies heading your way very soon, and all the latest on Marvel Phase 5.
