Avengers: Endgame is the movie of the decade. It summed up 11 years of Marvel movies while also paying homage to them. The amount of fan service in Endgame was also one of the many noteworthy things about the movie. But those aren’t the only things that Avengers: Endgame gave us.
The MCU might be fairly different comics when it comes to characters, plots, and such stuff, but Marvel Comics are literally the backbone of the MCU. And Endgame made sure to remind us of that every step of the way. There were plenty of moments in the movie that stand out, if you’ve been following the comics. These moments pay homage to the comics, dropping Easter eggs that could possibly shape the future of the MCU.
Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead
A Younger Hawkeye
Clint Barton (Hawkeye), with Kate Bishop, who is the younger Hawkeye in the comic books.
Avengers: Endgame starts with Clint spending some quality time with his family while on house arrest. That is when we see his daughter hitting bull’s eye while Clint himself is guiding her. “Good job, Hawkeye!”, Clint praises his daughter. This happens literally moments before Thanos snaps his fingers and disappears. In the comics, there is a younger, female Hawkeye. She isn’t Clint Barton’s daughter, though. Because he does not have kids in the comics. Even so, Clint referring to his daughter as ‘Hawkeye’ could be a firm nod to MCU introducing a younger Hawkeye following Clint’s long overdue retirement from the superhero life.
Ronin
Ronin
We find out within 10 minutes of Avengers: Endgame that Clint’s entire family gets dusted. And that is obviously devastating. And it definitely takes a heavy toll on the archer. The next time we see him, he’s a much more dangerous and rebellious version of himself. Long gone is the playful, witty Hawkeye yielding bow and arrows. This Clint Barton yields samurai swords and even looks more intense with a brand new haircut and an arm full of tattoos. In the comics, Clint’s ronin is pretty similar to MCU’s new version of the archer.
Professor Hulk
Professor Hulk in the Comic books
In Avengers: Endgame, we got to see a very different version of the Hulk. Up until Avengers: Infinity War, he was the same ol’ Hulk, angry and smashing everything he saw. But in Endgame, we see Hulk with the brain of Bruce Banner. This version of the Hulk in the comics is known as Professor Hulk.
Namor
We see Natasha keeping up with the rest of the heroes in the Avengers HQ to discuss the problems taking place in the Universe. While Captain Marvel and the remaining Guardians are out saving the Galaxy, Okoye, and Rhodey are still on Earth dealing with earthly issues. That’s when Okoye mentions an underwater earthquake in the Atlantic Ocean. This is the second time the MCU has mentioned the Atlantic Ocean. The first mention was in Iron Man 2. This could mean that Namor, the submariner could be lurking just around the corner. Namor is basically the Aquaman of the MCU.
Earth 616
When Ant-Man returns from the quantum realm, he appears in storage space number 616. This is a reference to Marvel’s Earth 616. Earth 616 is the Marvel universe where all the major stories take place in the Marvel comics.
“You got so big”
This is what Scott Lang says to his daughter after exchanging their emotional greetings when they are reunited. But this line could possibly have more than one meaning. In the comics, Cassie, Scott’s daughter, takes his superhero persona and grows to Goliath sizes, just like Scott.
“Hail Hydra”
The widely famous elevator scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The elevator scene in Avengers: Endgame with Captain America and Hydra agents carrying Loki’s scepter reminds us of the elevator scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But this scene progresses very differently from that one. After seeing the agents’ hesitation towards handing him the scepter, he resorts to using different measures to do the needful. He ends up saying the two magic words- Hail Hydra- to retrieve the scepter from them. But Cap also says these words in the comics. In the Secret Empire comic from 2017, Captain America is actually loyal to Hydra due to some timeline changes that turn him into a Nazi.
Undercover Steve Rogers
When Steve and Tony travel back to the 70s, they both go undercover. Steve wears a uniform with the name Roscoe on it. It is more likely than not a reference to Roscoe Simons who briefly held Captain America’s mantle in a 70’s Marvel comic book.
The Original Ant-Man helmet
Paul Rudd, who plays Ant-Man in the MCU, posing with a comic accurate, origianal Ant-Man helmet.
When Tony and Steve travel further back in time to the 70s in Avengers: Endgame, things get interesting. What with Tony meeting Howard Stark and Steve seeing Peggy again. But we also get a peek into a younger Hank Pym’s laboratory. And that’s where we see the original Ant-Man helmet. And it is comic accurate.
Papa Ivan
In Avengers: Endgame, we see Natasha voluntarily do what Gamora was forced to do on Vormir. When Clint and Natasha arrive there, the Red Skull greets both of them, just like he does to Thanos and Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War. That’s where he refers to Natasha as the “Daughter of Ivan”. Although, she later claims she didn’t know her father’s name. But this could be a reference to the comics. In the comics, a Russian man named Ivan Petrovich ends up adopting Natasha after saving her from a burning building.
The Shield and The Hammer
In the third act of Avengers: Endgame, during the final battle, we see Thanos break Steve’s vibranium shield to pieces, with only half of it left in Steve’s hand. Something quite similar happens in the Infinity Gauntlet comics. This was also foreshadowed in Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, Cap goes on to yield Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. This also happened in the comics in Thor #390.
Rescue
Pepper joins the final battle in the third act of Avengers: Endgame donning the Rescue armour. We see this happening for the first time in the comics in 2009. But then her armour isn’t exactly comic accurate. it more resembles the Rescue armour from Iron Man: Animated Adventures.
Tony’s Hologram
Tony Stark as an A.I. in Marvel Comics.
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, after the final battle, we see Tony’s hologram conveying his final message to his family. But there could be a possibility that this might further develop into A.I. Tony. This happened in the Marvel comics when A.I. Tony mentored Riri Williams through the process of her becoming Iron Heart.
Grandpa Steve Rogers
At the very end of the movie, Steve Rogers goes back in time to return the Infinity Stones. But he does not return. He stays there and lives his life with his one, true love, Peggy Carter. What we see after that is an old Steve Rogers. In Captain America #22, a fight neutralizes Steve’s super soldier serum. That causes him to age at a strikingly swift speed, making him an old man. Though, it was eventually reversed in the comic books, the chances of that happening in MCU are pretty slim. That means old Steve Rogers cannot be Captain America. Which then leads us to the next reference.
Captain America/Falcon
The old Steve Rogers gives Sam his shield so that he can try it on. After Steve asks him how it felt, Sam says, “Like it’s someone else’s”. But Steve claims that it isn’t. This is basically Steve asking Falcon to take up the mantle of Captain America. This has also happened in the comics.
In conclusion, the Russo brothers added a fair amount of comic book references and easter eggs to Avengers: Endgame. This meant that those who followed Marvel comics could also relate to the movie pretty easily. And this made the movie even more epic and interesting to watch.
