The young man standing behind Scarlet Witch and Bucky at Tony Stark's funeral is Harley Keener, who repaired Tony's armor in Iron Man 3.
Captain America lifting Mjölnir comes from the comics; Steve Rogers has proven himself worthy. This is the second film in which he tries to lift the hammer. The first was Age of Ultron, when he made it budge slightly on the table. Thor noticed. Director Joss Whedon implied that Rogers could always lift it but chose not to in order not to hurt Thor's feelings.
The iconic line 'Avengers Assemble!' is spoken for the first time by Captain America before the final battle. It was hinted at at the end of Age of Ultron, but the film cut to the credits before the line was completed.
In Thor's room, next to Stormbreaker, there are Hulk and Iron Man PEZ dispensers.
Captain America ends with him dancing with Peggy Carter, thus keeping the promise he made in The First Avenger before sending the Hydra plane into the ocean.
The song Steve and Peggy dance to is the same one Nick Fury listens to in Steve's apartment in The Winter Soldier: 'It's Been a Long Long Time'. It was a hit at the end of World War II in 1945. The version in The Winter Soldier is by Kitty Kallen, while in this film it is performed by Helen Forrest.
In the final battle, Thanos splits Captain America's shield in two, fulfilling the prophecy from Age of Ultron. That same vision also shows Hulk wounded, Black Widow dead and Thor injured by Thanos.
At the end of the film, Thor joins Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy and names the team 'Asgardians of the Galaxy'. Thor: Ragnarok was frequently referred to by this name humorously; a Marvel comic of the same name had been published in September 2018.
In the funeral scene, Morgan asks for a cheeseburger and Happy, grinning, says her father loved cheeseburgers. This is a nod to Tony asking for an 'American cheeseburger' at the press conference in Iron Man after escaping the cave.
In The Avengers, Tony tells Bruce that gamma radiation should have killed him, if it weren't for 'the other guy'. When Bruce asks why Hulk saved him, Tony says they will find out. Endgame answers this question: Bruce (merged with Hulk) is the only one who can bring everyone back using the Gauntlet, and before snapping his fingers he says he was always meant for this purpose.
While Black Widow coordinates the remaining Avengers, ballet shoes are seen on a chair. This is a nod to Natasha's past training in the Red Room.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter misinterprets Tony reaching for the car door as an attempt to hug him. Tony says, 'It's not a hug; I'm just grabbing the door for you. We're not there yet.' In Endgame, however, Tony immediately embraces Peter.
When Captain America lifts Mjölnir, Thor proudly saying 'I knew it!' is a nod to the party scene in Age of Ultron. At the time Thor was worried, but now he has matured enough to be proud of his comrade's worthiness.
The Russo brothers revealed on Twitter that NoobMaster69 is actually Wong.
As Captain America leaves for the Quantum Realm, he tells Bucky not to do anything stupid. Bucky replies, 'How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you.' This is the exact dialogue from The First Avenger; only in that film Bucky goes off to war and says the same thing to Steve.
The 2012 version of Thor using Mjölnir as a magical defibrillator is taken directly from the comics; Thor had done this several times before.
Clint Barton appears in this film in Japan under the Ronin identity. This is based on the comics: after the 'Civil War' event, he went to Japan with the New Avengers and took on the Ronin identity on a mission to rescue the previous Ronin, Echo. Barton has a ronin tattoo on his arm.
In the concept art, it is shown that Captain America is not sure he can lift Mjölnir, with the hammer staying on the ground instead of flying to his hand. This is consistent with Steve's belief in Age of Ultron that he was not worthy. However, the Russos stated that Captain America was always worthy and that the scene is more epic this way.
The Ancient One can only see the future up to her death; that is why she does not know that Dr. Strange chose to give the stone to Thanos in Infinity War. Although she does not understand the reason, she knows there is one, and this convinces her to go against her own instincts.
In the past, a large, round, metal helmet is seen in Hank Pym's laboratory; it resembles the helmet from the original Ant-Man comics.
As Natasha goes to persuade Tony to join the time travel plan, she reveals her loyalty to Hawkeye with her arrow-shaped necklace.
Scott Lang's storage unit number is 616, a nod to Earth-616, the main continuity of the Marvel comic universe.
Thanos being Iron Man's archenemy dates back to his first appearance as an Iron Man villain in 1973.
Norway is visited for the fourth time in the MCU; Tønsberg is seen for the third time. Tønsberg is the oldest Norwegian city, dating back to the Viking era, where the Tesseract was found in Thor and The First Avenger. In Age of Ultron, Tony had stopped by Oslo.
This fourth Avengers film brings together for the first time the original roster of Avengers #1 from 1963: Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Giant-Man/Ant-Man and Wasp. Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne were Ant-Man and Wasp at the time. Loki was the main villain in the first issue and also appears in the film. Although Captain America did not join until issue 4, he was later counted as a founding member.
After the intense finale and Tony's funeral, Steve Rogers boards the time machine to take the six Infinity Stones and Mjölnir back to the past. Johann Schmidt (Red Skull), who guards the Soul Stone that Clint brought back from Vormir, is Captain America's chief enemy in The First Avenger. It is implied that Steve encounters Red Skull while returning the stones, but this is not shown in the film.
At the end of the final battle, Rhodes is the first person to find Tony with fatal wounds. This is a tribute to the moment Rhodes first found Tony in the desert and reverses Tony finding the wounded Rhodes in Civil War.
When Tony removes the arc reactor and gives it to Steve, the scar from the older version is visible on his chest.
The tradition of commemorating Clint and Natasha's disastrous mission in Budapest continues in this film.
When Tony and Cap infiltrate the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, Cap wears an Army uniform with a captain's rank insignia on his cap.
The scene in the final battle featuring only the female heroes of the MCU is a nod to the A-Force comics from 2015-2016. Characters such as Captain Marvel, Rescue (Pepper Potts) and Scarlet Witch appear in the scene.
When Red Skull addresses Clint as "son of Edith," Thanos had called Gamora and Natasha the children of their fathers. In the comics, Harold Barton was abusive and an alcoholic. Clint and Nat's struggle for the Soul Stone reflects their turbulent relationship in the comics. Nat's self-sacrifice is the exact inverse of the scene in Ultimates where Black Widow kills Clint's family.
Rogers fighting his younger self, seeing his past stubbornness, influences his decision in the film.
Bronx Cap calls out "Queens" to Spider-Man in the race to save the Nano Gauntlet; this is a nod to their banter in Civil War.
The three-dimensional hologram shown to Morgan at Tony's funeral reflects the evolution of Tony's BARF technology. BARF also appears as Quentin Beck's technology in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Steve lifting Mjölnir and shouting "Avengers Assemble!" is identical to the scene in the Fear Itself story. In the film, he gathers the resurrected heroes against Thanos.
The film's ending serves as a tribute to the House of M comic: it shows that Steve Rogers wished he had never been frozen or become famous, living an anonymous life in Brooklyn after the war. Steve does exactly that: he goes back in time and lives his life again with Peggy.
In the scenes set in 1970, Howard Stark mentions Arnim Zola, revealing that the old war enemies worked together at S.H.I.E.L.D. during that period. Zola had been brought to the US after World War II under Project Paperclip and carried out his secret Hydra mission within the SSR/SHIELD.
Between this film and Infinity War, four snaps occur with a completed Gauntlet: Thanos wiping out half the universe, Thanos destroying the stones, Hulk's first snap to bring everyone back, and Tony Stark wiping out Thanos and his army.
When Tony gives his father advice, Howard calls him a "smart man." Tony's reply, "You did what you could," is a nod to a scene in Civil War: the BARF system shows a young digital Tony saying the same words to Howard.
The monitor on Hawkeye's ankle in the opening scene is the same device Scott Lang wore in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Both were under house arrest after Captain America: Civil War.
While Thor begs Tony to put on the Nano Gauntlet and do the snap, he calls himself the 'strongest Avenger.' This is a nod to the Quinjet refusing Thor access under that codename in Thor: Ragnarok. Thor cannot do the snap, and Hulk does it instead; in Ragnarok, the Quinjet recognizes Hulk as the 'Strongest Avenger.'
Karen Gillan appears in the scene where the characters discuss time travel. She later said she regretted not thinking to make a Doctor Who reference. 'Time Heist' is a Doctor Who episode, and Bill & Ted travel in a phone booth – just like the Doctor's TARDIS.
In the will recording Tony leaves for Pepper, he likens Nebula to the 'Blue Meanie' from the Beatles' Yellow Submarine. In the French version, he calls her 'Smurfette.' He also teases Thor (for letting himself go and turning to drink after five years) as 'Lebowski,' and Rocket as 'Ratchet.'
As Captain America fights Thanos and his army as the last man standing, this recalls the moment in the Infinity Gauntlet comic where Cap tells Thanos, 'As long as one man stands, you have not yet won.' Thanos destroys Cap's shield – just as in the original comic.
In Captain America: Civil War, when Hawkeye and Black Panther first meet, Clint says, 'We haven't met. I'm Clint,' and T'Challa replies, 'I don't care.' This is their only encounter before T'Challa disappears at the end of Infinity War. They meet again in the final battle; when Ronin/Clint emerges with the new Gauntlet, T'Challa comes to his aid and finally addresses him by name, showing their relationship evolving from hostility to alliance.
The arc reactor sent over the lake at Tony Stark's funeral, bearing the words 'proof that Tony Stark has a heart,' is the gift Pepper made after removing Tony's old reactor in Iron Man.
2012 Thor's mention of 'a bit of lunch' is a nod to the moment the group eats shawarma in the Avengers post-credits scene.
Hulk tries to convince the Ancient One to give him the Time Stone. According to Screen Rant, the Ancient One says that Thanos's snap did not kill anyone, it only turned them to dust. Death is permanent, the snap is not; resurrection is impossible even with the Infinity Stones, but the snap can be undone. Black Widow and Iron Man truly died, while those turned to dust could be brought back because they were not technically dead. Thanos was also turned to dust, so he is technically still alive; this means he could be resurrected.
Carol's new look after the time skip draws inspiration from the comics in two ways: her short hair from her modern design, and her red sash from the belt she wore. Her new red costume and black shoulder pads are taken directly from Carol's predecessor, Captain Mar-Vell. Carol telling Rhodey to be careful and stay safe is a nod to their romantic relationship in the comics.
Dr. Strange tells Tony Stark that if he reveals the future, it will not happen. This also applies to Thanos: he learns the future of the snap and his death, but neither comes to pass (or does not become permanent after he learns of it).
Star-Lord's happy reunion with Gamora is cut short when Gamora mercilessly knees him in the groin; this shows she is not the woman he fell in love with. This moment also recalls Peter and Gamora's first closeness in Guardians of the Galaxy.
In the final battle, after responding to Captain America's orders, Wasp gives Ant-Man a challenging look. This is a nod to Hope admitting to Scott in Ant-Man and the Wasp that she was angry at him for not asking for help during the events of Civil War. She also calls him 'Cap' rather than 'Captain'; Scott had done the same in that film.
When Tony Stark returns to the New Avengers facility and gives Cap his shield back, he makes a subtle reference to his father; this recalls a scene in Captain America: The First Avenger.
In 1970 at Camp Lehigh, Tony enters the underground bunker while searching for the Tesseract. Green computer screens are visible in the background. While what is on the screens is nearly invisible, VFX footage reveals Arnim Zola's face appearing in the distance.
The special effects team says Cap is 106 years old when he returns to 2023 and gives Falcon a new shield: Cap was born in 1918 (confirmed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier). He went into the ice in 1945 (at age 27). He was found in 2011 and lived until 2023 (12 years). This means Cap was 39 years old (before returning the stones). He spends 67 years with Peggy (106-39). Assuming he returned to Peggy in 1949, he lives until 2016 in the alternate timeline (2016-1949=67). 2016 is the year Peggy died (Captain America: Civil War). This also proves that Cap returned to the main timeline shortly before the time travel for his dramatic entrance.
In the 2012 elevator scene, Agent Sitwell mentions Dr. List. He was Baron Strucker's chief scientist and appeared in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and at the beginning of Avengers: Age of Ultron. He was not named in either film, but his appearances in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. made it clear.
Captain America returning to the 1940s after the final battle to live with Peggy Carter and appearing as an old man resembles the Ultimate Marvel version of Bucky Barnes. In that version, Bucky survives World War II, marries Cap's former girlfriend Gail Richards, and appears as an old man after Cap is unfrozen.
After Tony's snap, Thanos's army is seen turning to dust. Just beyond Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight is seen holding Corvus Glaive's body. Although their relationship is never mentioned in the MCU, these two members of the Black Order were married in the comics.
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts's daughter Morgan Stark is inspired by their son Howard Stark III from an alternate reality in the comics (Invincible Iron Man #500, 2011). This is also the fourth film in which a character is portrayed as a different gender from the comics; the previous ones were the Ancient One in Doctor Strange, Ghost in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Mar-Vell in Captain Marvel.
At 1 hour 40 minutes into the film, Stephen McFeely mentions Stark bringing sauerkraut to his pregnant wife; this is a nod to the memory of his mother craving sauerkraut while pregnant.
While Bruce Banner and Rhodes talk about time travel, they list a number of films; one of them is 'Hot Tub Time Machine,' in which Sebastian Stan starred.
Steve's military uniform in the 1970 New Jersey scene reads 'Roscoe'; this is a reference to Roscoe Simons, another Captain America in Marvel comics.
The mambo drum rhythm that starts Luis's stories in Ant-Man is heard at critical moments in the Time Heist; for example, when Scott enters past Tony's arc reactor.
Hawkeye becomes Ronin after Thanos's destruction of his family; this reflects the events of The Ultimates 3 and refers to the 616 version's post-'Civil War' Ronin identity. As Ronin, Clint resembles the Punisher with his ruthlessness toward criminals.
The Avengers splitting into small groups across time and space seems inspired by Kurt Busiek's 'Avengers Forever'; in Marvel's post-Endgame promotional booklet, this work was listed alongside 'The Infinity Gauntlet.'
Tony solves the time travel model by taking 'slight inspiration' from a photo in which he and Peter hold an upside-down diploma; this scene takes place at around the 39th minute.
In the final battle, as Captain America stands alone against Thanos's army, he hears Sam's word 'on your left'; this is a nod to the opening run in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Steve Rogers's line 'I can do this all day' is reversed in Endgame when 2012 Cap says it to his older self; Cap doesn't much enjoy having his own catchphrase used against him.
Iron Man's Mark 85 armor is a modernized copy of the Mark 4 from the comics; the number 85 is a nod to the Mark 4 first appearing in Invincible Iron Man #85. Cap's new suit, meanwhile, incorporates the classic chainmail armor design. The Mark 85 also features a shield similar to the energy shield in the Marvel vs. Capcom games.
In the 'Five Years Later' sequence, Citi Field is visible; later, a man in Cap's support group says he misses the Mets. The film references the Mets' collaborations with pitcher Noah Syndergaard; Syndergaard is known by the nickname 'Thor'.
Banner binding his consciousness to the Hulk's body resembles the 'Professor Hulk' incarnation from Peter David's run in the comics.
When 2014 Thanos sees Nebula's memory drive, he calls the Avengers 'rebellious creatures'; this is a nod to the post-credits scene in the 2012 film.
In the film's epilogue, Ned wears a The Iron Giant t-shirt; that film is adapted from Ted Hughes's novel 'The Iron Man' and references Iron Man's sacrifice. Vin Diesel (Groot) voiced the Iron Giant.
Thanos uses his discarded armor as a scarecrow, just as at the end of the 'The Infinity Gauntlet' comic.
Spider-Man's Instant Kill option is used for the first time in a live-action adaptation in this film; it appears briefly in Homecoming but its function is immediately disabled.
As the Avengers headquarters collapses, Hulk holds up the debris to save War Machine and Rocket; this is a nod to Hulk holding up a 150-billion-ton mountain in 'Secret Wars'.
When Rocket is discovered by Asgardian guards in 2013, one of them shouts 'Get the rabbit!'; just as Thor calls the raccoon a rabbit, the Asgardians don't recognize him either.
Steve Rogers returning the Infinity Stones resolves the timeline problem; this means all these events have always happened in the MCU's background. How Steve returned the Soul Stone is left to the audience.
Steve fighting his 2012 self is a direct nod to Captain America #156.
Black Widow's death sparked debate among fans and critics. Many felt the motivation behind her sacrifice was not developed enough and that her story was left incomplete. Some argued that the move served no purpose other than to advance the narratives of male characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nearly everyone described her absence from the final battle against Thanos's forces as a disappointment. Despite all the criticism, Scarlett Johansson said her character's death made sense: "It was a sacrifice that suited the character. She did it not for humanity, but for the people she loved. It was bittersweet." Johansson first heard the news from Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, just as production on Avengers: Infinity War was about to begin.
Nebula's extensive screen time in this film overlaps with the role she plays in Thanos's downfall in the Infinity Gauntlet comics. 2014-Nebula initiating the final battle as Thanos's servant is the MCU's closest interpretation of Terraxia; Terraxia is the female counterpart Thanos created with the Infinity Gauntlet.
The purple color of Pepper's Rescue armor was taken not from the comics but from the Iron Man: Armored Adventures (2008) animated series. The female heroes coming together to help Captain Marvel reach the quantum tunnel is a salute to A-Force, first introduced in Secret Wars (2015).
Tony Stark and Nebula being lost in space for 22 days is a nod to Endgame being the 22nd film in the MCU.
When Cap and Stark go to Camp Lehigh in 1970, Cap wears a uniform with "Roscoe" written on it. This is a nod to Roscoe Simons, who briefly took over the Captain America mantle in the comics between 1974 and 1975. Roscoe was ambushed and killed by the Red Skull; after finding his body, Steve reclaimed his title.
Steve tells the support group that they have to move on after the Snap; otherwise, he says, they will have accepted that Thanos won. When the Avengers fail to do so, Thanos raises his plan from 50% to 100%.
At about 1 hour: While the Time Heist plan is being discussed, Back to the Future (1985) is frequently referenced. On his first time-travel trip, Hawkeye arrives in a barn, like Marty McFly.
At about 1 hour 45 minutes: In his 1970 meeting with his father Howard, Tony says, "No amount of money ever bought a second of time." This is a salute to Thomas Edison's line in Edison, the Man (1940): "All the money in the world cannot buy you even a minute."
Barton being the first person after Scott to shrink and enter the Quantum Realm is a nod to his time as Goliath.
At about 1 hour 40 minutes: A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent describes Tony Stark as having a "Mungo Jerry" beard. Mungo Jerry was a British band famous for "In The Summertime" in 1970; its members had well-groomed beards. Lead vocalist Ray Dorset's sideburns, meanwhile, resembled Wolverine's.
Ant-Man interacting with the Avengers during the Battle of New York is a nod to Ant-Man (Hank Pym) being one of the founding members of the Avengers alongside Wasp in the comics.
Marvel announced on Instagram that all the Infinity Stones were destroyed, but this only applies to the main MCU timeline. The film's writers stated that the task of passing the gauntlet from hand to hand during the final battle was mostly given to heroes who had not previously had screen time. Stephen McFeely: "Most of the people doing the heavy lifting are not the people you've been with for two hours, they're the new arrivals, because this is the only moment they get screen time." Christopher Markus: "It was a great opportunity both to move the story forward and to give everyone a moment."
At the first meeting with Captain Marvel at Avengers headquarters, the holograms confirm those who were erased by Thanos's snap: Erik Selvig, Shuri, T'Challa, Sam Wilson, Stephen Strange, Peter Quill, Groot, Drax, Mantis, Scott Lang, Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne, Hope Van Dyne, Bucky Barnes, Peter Parker, Wanda Maximoff, Maria Hill, Sharon Carter and Nick Fury. Although Scott Lang is on the list, Ant-Man and the Wasp shows that he was not erased, only trapped in the quantum tunnel. Among those not shown as dead in the film but mentioned in the original script are Jane Foster, Wong and Thaddeus Ross; the directors later confirmed that Betty Ross and Lady Sif were also gone. Wong's fate was later changed, and Spider-Man: No Way Home showed that he survived. In Spider-Man: Far from Home, it was retroactively confirmed that Aunt May, Michelle Jones, Ned, Betty Brant and Flash Thompson were erased; We Interrupt This Program showed that Monica Rambeau was also among those erased.
The events of Avengers: Endgame and X-Men: Days of Future Past take place in the same year, 2023.
In the comics, the Infinity Gauntlet was a container that held the stones together. In the films, it was reinterpreted as a mechanism necessary to use the stones.
In the finale, Thor uses Mjölnir and Stormbreaker at the same time; this resembles Thor's different selves using their hammers simultaneously in Jason Aaron's The God Butcher/Godbomb story, and the Unworthy Thor using an alternate Mjölnir in Jonathan Hickman's Avengers.
Rocket wears a new outfit that closely resembles his costume in Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's Guardians of the Galaxy series.
The security guard in the storage facility where Scott Lang returns from the Quantum Realm is reading J.G. Ballard's Terminal Beach. Published in 1964, the book consists of twelve science fiction stories; the last story is titled "End-Game".
Sharp-eyed viewers noticed that during the final battle, Mantis uses her powers in the background to put a Chitauri gorilla to sleep. This is the same empathic power she used against Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
In the final battle, Ant-Man appears as Giant-Man and carries Hulk in his palm. This is a nod to the 2016 Super Bowl Coca-Cola commercial; in the ad, the pair's sizes were reversed: Ant-Man steals a small can of cola from Hulk, then helps him open it.
According to Reddit user WolverineKuzuri93's theory, Tony Stark was able to use the Infinity Stones thanks to the Arc Reactor. In Iron Man, Yinsen says the reactor could run his heart for 50 lifetimes; Tony states that the reactor could run something very large for 15 minutes. Although the power of the stones is immense, Tony's brief use of them was enough. The reactor absorbed most of the energy, protecting Tony from death, and eventually gave out; this explains why the reactor went dark when Tony died.
Captain America is the fifth person to lift Mjölnir in the MCU: after Thor, Odin, Vision and Hela.
The final showdown between Tony and Thanos resembles the fateful duel between Thor and Cul Borson/Serpent in the 'Fear Itself' comic. In both stories, the hero kills his enemy but is himself mortally wounded.
Iron Man and Rescue standing back to back and unleashing a massive amount of ammunition on Thanos's army recalls the last stand of Iron Man and War Machine against Whiplash's drones in Iron Man 2.
Above the scene at the support group meeting is the inscription 'For God and Country, In Memorial to Chaplain Matthew Haggerty'. Matt Haggerty was the 2nd assistant director on Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, as well as on Arrested Development, directed by the Russo brothers.
Rhodey warning Nebula before entering the Power Stone chamber recalls the trapped floor beneath the idol in Raiders of the Lost Ark; this is why Rhodey says 'spikes'.
The shape Tony Stark tries while simulating the time travel GPS, and which finally succeeds, is the Möbius strip. This is an object that loops back on itself and references Tony's death at the end of the film: this part of the MCU began with Iron Man and ends with his sacrifice.
Tony's daughter after the time skip is named Morgan. In the comics, Tony has a rarely seen male cousin, Morgan Stark, who usually brings trouble.
A sharp-eyed Reddit user noticed that when Captain Marvel attacks Thanos, she presses her boot into his left palm, preventing Thanos from closing the Infinity Gauntlet. At that point, the Avengers did not know that Thanos had destroyed the stones.
In the New Asgard scene in Norway, on the table next to Thor are the Scottish drink Irn Bru and a deep-fried Mars bar; this also appears in a commercial for Avengers: Infinity War.
The background music in the Vormir scene between Black Widow and Hawkeye is the same as in the Infinity War scene between Gamora and Thanos.
Red Skull addresses Natasha as 'daughter of Ivan.' In Russian naming tradition, a child's second name indicates the father; Natasha's middle name would be Ivanovna (Ivanovitch if she were male). Ivan is the Russian equivalent of John; in Germanic languages, John becomes Johan. Ivanovich turns into Johansson. Natasha is played by Scarlett Johansson.
In the conversation between the Ancient One and Bruce Banner, it is stated that the six Infinity Stones create the flow of time and that the absence of one would create an alternate timeline. Thanos saying he destroyed the stones allows for the existence of alternate timelines and leads to crossovers with other superheroes such as the X-Men; this came to pass in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The song at the end of the film — Steve and Peggy's theme — is also heard in the scene in the final episode of the first season of Agent Carter where Peggy says goodbye to Steve. The song is 'It's Been A Long, Long Time,' performed by Harry James and Helen Forrest.
Ant-Man prepares orange slices for Hawkeye. This is a nod to Ant-Man asking 'does anyone have orange slices?' after transforming back from Giant-Man in Captain America: Civil War.
The New York battle scene contains many Back to the Future Part II references: Tony Stark being knocked into the door Hulk opens, Thor's sunglasses. The scene mirrors Marty McFly's attempt to retrieve the sports almanac. Ant-Man also makes several Back to the Future references.
At the very end of the credits, before the Marvel logo appears, the sound of a hammer striking metal six times is heard. This is a tribute to the forging of the armor in the cave in the 2008 Iron Man film and to the six Infinity Stones in the formation of the universe.
Clint compares himself to Thanos against criminals; he later unknowingly gives the Stark Gauntlet to 2014-Nebula. In the comics, Nebula steals the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos's physical body after he assumes the Eternity form.
Thanos's final moment, sitting down wearily looking at what he has lost and turning to dust, mirrors the scene in Infinity War where a triumphant Thanos sits down to tend his wounds and greets the sunrise.
Thanos's creator, Jim Starlin, said that the helicopter-rotor shape of Thanos's weapon is a nod to 'ThanosCopter,' a yellow helicopter with THANOS written on its tail.
In strategy games such as chess or backgammon, the final moves are called the 'endgame' and usually require sacrificing critical pieces. Doctor Strange had spoken of exactly this in Avengers: Infinity War.
In contrast to Infinity War's neon-colored teaser poster, Endgame's teaser poster is a blend of purple and blue. This tonality is reflected in the promotional materials as well: in the Big Game TV spot, abandoned New York City is covered by a blue layer of sea. In the new character posters, the survivors are in full color while the dead are in black and white.
One theory explaining Thanos winning in Infinity War and losing in Endgame: while Thanos follows a flawless strategy in the first film, in Endgame, upon realizing that his mission succeeded and that the Avengers are trying to reverse it through time travel, he goes mad, acts with a thirst for revenge, loses control and is defeated.
When Clint and Wanda reunite after Tony's funeral, Clint laments that Natasha will never know her sacrifice helped the Avengers win. Wanda comforts him by saying 'She knows. They both do.' This is a silent greeting to Vision.
A sharp-eyed fan noticed that Brie Larson's 2023 superhero costume is a tribute to the first Captain Marvel. Endgame jumps five years forward after the heroes who survived Infinity War learn that Thanos destroyed the Infinity Stones, preventing them from undoing the snap. When viewers meet Captain Marvel again in a team meeting scene, the hero is seen wearing a new costume with an inverted red and blue color scheme. Many suspected this costume was a tribute to Mar-Vell's original Captain Marvel costume in the comics, and a fan posted two photos to compare both outfits.
The Ancient One forces Bruce into an out-of-body experience just as Stephen Strange experienced when he first met the Sorcerer Supreme.
A conversation between Scott and Hope in Ant-Man and the Wasp is referenced during the final battle.
The song Steve and Peggy finally dance to is 'It's Been a Long, Long Time,' written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne and performed by Harry James and His Orchestra. The same song is heard in Captain America: The Winter Soldier in the scene where Sharon Carter tells Steve she left her radio on.
During the Avengers meeting about the Infinity Stones, Smart Hulk eats the Ben and Jerry's ice cream 'Hunk of Hulk of Burning Fudge' that Wong mentioned in Infinity War.
Immediately after the time skip, Natasha tells Steve that for the past five years she has been married to her work because there is nothing else in her life. This foreshadows what will happen to her with Clint on Vormir.
The scene in which Captain America uses Mjölnir in his fight against Thanos bears many similarities to Thor's struggle with Hulk in The Avengers: similar movements, sliding under an incoming projectile, surrounding objects being destroyed in a similar way, and both scenes ending with the hero choking his opponent.
In the wide shot where all the vanished characters return, Captain America's shield is visibly intact after having been shattered by Thanos's sword.
When Scott Lang returns from the Quantum Realm five years later, the storage facility security guard is reading a book: British author J.G. Ballard's short story collection 'The Terminal Beach'. One of the stories is titled 'End-Game'.
In the mid-credits montage of The Avengers, the names of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner appear in that order, each with a symbol of their own. In this film's mid-credits montage they appear in reverse order, completing the circle.
The Russo Brothers were asked why the Nova Corps members seen in Guardians of the Galaxy did not come to fight Thanos at the end of Endgame. Joe Russo said, 'Look at that scene again carefully. You will see Richard Rider in the background of one shot. An easter egg.' Rider is known by the superhero name Nova and is a popular cosmic Marvel character whose addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe has long been discussed. The io9 team got to work immediately and examined every frame of Endgame's final battle. The results were surprising.
The teleportation device shown in this film is almost 100% consistent with the descriptions of a machine called the 'chronovisor', which the alleged time traveler Andrew D. Basiago described in detail to radio host Art Bell. This is not the first time Marvel has taken ideas from such extreme sources: the 'Chitauri' in The Avengers were taken from David Icke's conspiracy theories.
When Morgan Stark comes out onto the veranda and says 'Mom told me to save you', and Tony replies 'I'm saved', Tony implies that she saved him from his past life and that her mother fulfilled the task of saving him from the guests' questions.
Hulk ends the film with his arm in a sling because he used the Infinity Gauntlet. At the end of the original Secret Wars, Hulk also ended up with a broken limb, but that time it was his leg.
Professor Hulk losing his right arm during the Blip is foreshadowed by Bruce Banner losing his left arm in Infinity War as a result of Cull Obsidian's attack with the Hulkbuster armor. Hulk used the gauntlet with his right hand, not his left. At the funeral, his right arm is in a sling.
The Russos confirmed that Betty Ross was one of the unseen victims of Thanos's snap. In Endgame, Smart Hulk uses Tony's temporary Infinity Gauntlet to bring back the people Thanos killed. Betty Ross was among those resurrected. The person who saved Betty is, coincidentally, the man she loved in The Incredible Hulk and in the Marvel comics. The deep bond between Bruce Banner and Betty Ross gives the snap a touching and unexpected consequence. Since the public may not know Smart Hulk's role in reversing the snap, Betty may not be aware that the one who brought everyone back was her former boyfriend. How Betty was affected by the snap and whether she has had any contact with Banner are questions the MCU has not yet answered, but if the rumors that Liv Tyler will return as Betty Ross for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are true, that may soon change.
At the end of the credits, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. appear with their own handwritten signatures. This is a tribute to a similar farewell scene in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991).
The orange-yellow spiky fruit Thanos grows in his garden is a kiwano, also known as the horned melon. Its inside is filled with lemon-green flesh and seeds.
In Infinity War and Endgame, both Thanos and the Avengers have fully functional Infinity Gauntlets. Thanks to time travel, Marvel Studios can make an infinite number of films; but don't tell them that.
The writers added a property of Galactus's Ultimate Nullifier to the Infinity Stones: a recoil energy that destroys the user along with the target.
In Infinity War, Thanos sacrifices Gamora for the Soul Stone. In Endgame, Black Widow sacrifices herself for Hawkeye for the same stone. In both cases, a woman dies.
In the 'Five Years Later' section, while Natasha is leading the meeting, Rhodey says he found a house full of bodies in Mexico reminiscent of a cartel war. This is a reference to the film Sicario (2015), in which Josh Brolin starred.
When Scott Lang encounters empty streets and missing person posters, it resembles the biblical concept of the Rapture: the faithful have been taken, and the world has been left to chaos.
In the comics, Drax is an artificial being created to stop Thanos. When Thanos dies, Drax loses his direction because he could not fulfill his destiny. In the film, he takes part in Thanos's downfall.
Back to the Future (1985) is referenced in both DC and Marvel canon; it also appears in The Flash (2023) in the context of time travel.