After Endgame: Top Six Things I Want to See in the MCU

[This is the inaugural post in a new blog segment within Musings Monday titled Less Deep, Extra Geek. As a writer, I understand the power of story. I don’t just write stories; I enjoy stories. I am just as much fan as I am a story teller. For this segment, I am going to be fully exposing the geeky fanboy side of me, sharing my thoughts and theories on a variety of “geeky” topics. Today, our focus is on The Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.]

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, let me clue you in: Avengers: Endgame, the culmination of 22 interconnected movies, made over one billion dollars in its opening weekend alone. The story, being the ultimate series finale, wrapped up several story lines and satisfied fans who’ve followed the series for over ten years.

It’s big. It’s unprecedented. And it’s geeky—possibly the best trifecta entertainment can offer.

Now that I’ve had some time to think about the movie, I wanted to share some of my thoughts. This isn’t really a review and it isn’t really a prediction or theory either. This is my wish-list, the six things I want to happen in the MCU now that Endgame is complete.

This is what I would try to do if I were in charge. And I hope someone in power at Disney sees this list and considers it. Probably not, but one can only hope.

After my list, comment on the Facebook and Instagram posts or send me a message—I want to hear your ideas! Are my ideas bad? Did I miss something? Is your idea even better? I want to know!

[This should go without saying, but warning: Major Avengers: Endgame spoilers throughout the rest of this post!]

6: New Asgard

One of the most interesting developments in Avengers: Endgame after the five year time jump was the revelation of Asgard’s fate. After Thor: Ragnarok, Asgard was completely demolished, the only survivors barely escaping via spaceship. In the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos’s ship intercepts the Asgardians, and Thanos’s confrontation with Thor, Loki, and Hulk kickstart the film’s plot. After Infinity War, many fans wondered about Asgard. The movie itself was a little ambiguous as to whether Thanos killed all the Asgardians or if any of them actually found safety.

We get our answer when the Avengers track down Thor five years after killing Thanos. Thor is living as King in New Asgard, a seaside town filled with Asgardian refugees. We also get to see fan-favorite characters Korg and Valkyrie.

At the end of Endgame, Thor reaches the conclusion that he doesn’t want to be King. Instead of taking the responsibility given him by bloodline, he has to go find himself—and to do that, he needs to take a break from holding the fate of the universe on his shoulders. So, before leaving with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor leaves Valkyrie in charge as King of Asgard.

With Thor absent and Valkyrie in charge, I want to see what happens next. How does Valkyrie rule? Do the Asgardians respect her? What kind of problems are these advanced aliens bound to face, now that they’re stranded on earth?

I want to see a New Asgard tv series (or maybe miniseries) centered on Valkyrie and the town. Maybe Thor can make a cameo, but it needs to be her story. I’d even like to see Jane, Darcy, and/or Dr. Selvig move to the town to study the weird fake-scientific stuff that might be a by product of the Asgardians living on Earth. With a Storybrooke-esque kind of setting, I could see the series catching a Once Upon a Time kind of vibe while also striking its own unique tone.

But even if a series like this happens, we really need to see what’s next in the story of Thor himself.

5: More Thor

Let’s be honest: Thor’s storyline in Endgame was a little awkward. His reintroduction after the five-year gap was both hilarious and cringeworthy. My biggest problem with his arc is that he stayed pathetic. After Ragnarok and Odin’s “Are you the god of hammers?” talk, you’d think Thor would be able to bounce back.

But I do get it, because he blamed himself for failing to stop Thanos. And, admittedly, if we also didn’t have Star Lord to blame, Thor’s failure does make him partially responsible. His despondency is understandable. And I am glad he got time to mourn, because with Infinity War happening right ofter Ragnarok, Thor barely had time to breathe. Even so, I wish he could’ve at least sobered up before joining the Time Heist. For most of the rest of the movie, Thor was simply a shell of who we knew he could be.

The good news?

Thor’s story isn’t over yet. Endgame did a fantastic job in wrapping up Iron Man and Captain America’s character arcs to satisfying resolutions, but Thor isn’t done growing. He needs to find himself. He needs to figure out what he wants beyond others’ expectations of him, which I think is a valiant character arc worth exploring.

Sure, Thor needs to find himself, but do you know who also needs to be found? Lady Sif.

If anyone remembers back to the days of Thor and Thor: The Dark World, Thor’s group of friends and overall life situation was vastly different than it is now. This is partially thanks to his sister Hela, who killed the Warriors Three and dozens of other Asgardians. Also in Thor: Ragnarok, we’re introduced to characters like Valkyrie and Korg, but Thor’s Asgardian lady-friend is not even mentioned.

Though I loved Ragnarok over all, this was one of the things I hated about the movie. The producers said that she was off on some assignment and not on Asgard during the events of the movie, which makes sense because the actress who plays Lady Sif was unavailable during the filming of Ragnarok.

But this creates one of the biggest continuity problems in the entire MCU.

She’s one of Thor’s oldest friends, one of Thor’s living friends, yet he doesn’t even mention her? No “I wonder what Sif’s doing right now”? You’d think the death of his other friends would draw him even closer to her. Which leads me to my next suggestion…

Let Lady Sif’s disappearance be a plot point for Thor in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. As he’s traveling through space with his new friends and Star Lord’s trying to win 2014 Gamora’s love and the crew crosses paths with Adam Warlock (as hinted at during the end credit scene in Vol. 2), Thor needs his own storyline. He needs to grow. And if Lady Sif can be part of his personal journey, the MCU’s continuity will only get stronger.

4: The Winter Soldier’s Responsibility

My next suggestion is for the upcoming Falcon and the Winter Soldier series (officially announced as a Disney+ exclusive!) as well as for future appearances for Captain America’s longtime friend.

It’s no secret that Bucky Barnes has been at the center of Captain America’s story since the beginning. Though we haven’t seen much on screen character development for Bucky, he’s still a likable character, and will surely be indispensable in helping Falcon take up Cap’s shield.

But one thing that hasn’t been explored to its full potential: Bucky’s relationship with Tony Stark.

If you remember in 2016, Captain America: Civil War revealed that The Winter Soldier, under some sort of Russian mind control hypnosis, killed Tony’s parents. Even tough it technically wasn’t Bucky’s fault, Tony took it personally—especially because Steve kept the truth from Tony. But in all this, there are no true character interactions between Bucky and Tony.

This makes sense because it was Captain America’s movie, and Tony would have no reason to start a friendship with the Winter Soldier. Plus, the Stark/Rogers relationship is the emotional core of the entire movie. Even so, on screen we don’t get much about Bucky’s thoughts with the whole murdering-the-Starks situation.

So here’s my idea:

Seeking some sort of personal atonement, Bucky promises Pepper that he’ll always look out for Morgan (Tony and Pepper’s daughter). Then, due to some villain, Morgan get’s thrown into danger—maybe some sort of Taken-type situation?—and Bucky makes it his personal responsibility to keep her safe and not let he end up like her grandparents. Then throughout the story, the character can grapple with his own past and find a way to forgive himself.

But after looking at Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I’m actually not done yet with the original Captain America…

3: Agent Carter Season 3 / Captain America 4

I have a confession to make. I never actually watched Agent Carter—ABC’s Peggy Carter spin-off series featuring Jarvis and Howard Stark. I watched the first episode and thought it was cool, and I fully intended to catch up on the series at some point, but my motivation for it was completely stripped when I learned that the series was cancelled after season two—because the story was left on a cliffhanger.

There are few things I hate more in TV shows than when a series is cancelled mid-story. If there’s no resolution, what’s the point of the story?

So, yeah, I never watched it. But I’m bringing it up because we do have a basis for Peggy’s continuing life after Steve Rogers’ disappearance and presumed death. While Steve saw character development through two subsequent Captain America and four Avengers films, after The First Avenger, Peggy’s character was seen on TV screens through 18 hour-long episodes.

Both characters were forced to move on…so what happens when their lives are joined back together?

One of my favorite moments in Endgame is the very last scene that shows Steve dancing with Peggy in 1970. Just like Iron Man’s big scene with Thanos completes his storyline (“I am Iron Man” obviously hearkening back to the original Iron Man ending), Captain America’s dance with Peggy Carter resolves his biggest regret: the missed date with the woman he loves.

Even though this wraps up Steve’s story, I want to see more. I want to see what happens when they reunite. How does Steve disrupt Peggy’s story? There’s no way they don’t find themselves in dangerous situations, either. Depending on where Agent Carter’s storyline was planning to go for season three, with a new tv miniseries or a fourth Captain America film, the MCU could kill two birds with one stone—complete one of the few loose ends in the canon’s continuity while also giving the audience more closure with Captain America’s new life.

Now this is something that I don’t think will happen. By all appearances, Chris Evans is done with the role. But, even if it’s years down the road, I’d love to see one last Captain America adventure.

2: Hawkeye Faces His Demons

I’m just gonna say it: Hawkeye needs help.

Though his storyline in Avengers: Endgame was interesting, when you actually take the time to think about it, it was actually more unsettling than anything else.

You thought Thor had an ugly rock bottom? Let’s have Hawkeye, in face of his family’s deaths, have a complete meltdown and become a vigilante killer.

Fans of the comics weren’t too surprised by this development, as Hawkeye in other stories/universes has taken the “Ronin” persona before. My problem with its treatment in Endgame is we don’t really get many specifics on what Hawkeye is doing, why he’s doing it, and if he still has any sort of moral compass.

Yes, I know he’s grieving his family. But that doesn’t mean it’s automatically okay to go around killing people. Even if they’re bad people, that’s something which doesn’t happen right away. Hawkeye didn’t become Ronin overnight; there was a process over the five years that audiences didn’t get to see.

Maybe his transformation makes sense, but I don’t know that. I couldn’t see his development. You what we also didn’t see?

How does Hawkeye adjust to having his family back? Does he have any marriage problems after his wife finds out how he spent the last five years? Are his kids scared of him now? Does he get therapy?

My idea—A Hawkeye tv series.

Season One: Pre-Endgame. Hawkeye slides into despair, sees evil people taking advantage of the decimation of the world, and slowly becomes Ronin.

Season Two: Post-Endgame. Hawkeye has to grapple with Natasha’s sacrifice. He goes on a personal journey of healing while also facing some sort of action-packed adventure. Maybe trains his daughter to be the next Hawkeye.

This way, we’ll get the full story and aren’t forced shrug off Hawkeye’s dark turn at the end of an otherwise well-told story.

1: Ashes of Infinity

My last idea is for a TV series (Ashes of Infinity was the best title I could think of). This story would be more about the human side of the Marvel universe. It could theoretically include Marvel characters not previously seen in the MCU yet, but I like the idea of it being completely unconnected.

Imagine: A peaceful planet, far away from earth. Maybe similar to Xandar. They have their own problems, but overall don’t associate much with the rest of the galaxy. They have no knowledge of the Avengers, little knowledge of Earth, no stake in the Kree’s rivalry with the Skrulls or any other interplanetary quarrel.

But suddenly, one day out of the blue, the half the population turns to dust. They have to deal with the grief and chaos of such a terrifying event. But then, five years later (maybe beginning with season 2 or season 6, depending on how many ideas the writers have and how they’re able to pace the show) all of the disappeared people return with no memory or aging of the last five years. More crazy plot lines ensue.

Again, no character connection between this and the MCU except for maybe a Captain Marvel cameo. They’re just the innocent victims of Thanos’s universe-spanning snap.

If done right, I think that would be an amazing show.

Those are my top six ideas! What do you think?