Avengers: Endgame has been retired from movie theaters for months now, but fans are still debating some of the movie’s biggest questions. Specifically, what timeline is Captain America/Steve Rogers living in at the end of the movie, when he gets to live his life alongside Peggy Carter? It’s a question that’s open to interpretation, and Endgame screenwriters Stephen Markus and Christopher McFeely have already admitted they don’t agree with directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo on the matter, but that’s okay.
The writers caught up with Vanity Fair recently, and commented on the debate fans of the movie are still having today. The publication inquired if the two men liked the ongoing back-and-forth about some of the movie’s themes and storylines, especially Captain America’s, and they aren’t disappointed with the fan’s reactions at all.
“Yeah, that’s fine. Those are unsatisfied questions. Those are intrigued questions. I’m delighted at people still chewing over this thing. You know, if it’s, ‘That’s stupid and I don’t like it and I’m talking about it because it was dumb,’ that’s one thing. But if it’s, ‘I honestly don’t know, and it’s kind of cool to think about,’ that’s great,” Markus commented.
McFeely also added that these debates are “great,” and there may not even be a right or wrong answer.
The big conversation here is whether Steve Rogers is living in an alternate timeline or the movie’s main timeline. Endgame did a great job of explaining time travel as not to confuse fans, something most movies that involve the subject fail to do. Bruce Banner explains alternate realities and timelines when speaking with the Ancient One during the film, which only further added to the confusion of exactly which timeline Steve is living in with Peggy.
Either way, McFeely and Markus are happy fans are still discussing their viewpoints to this day, so long after the movie came out. Thankfully, moviegoers aren’t complaining about how things turned out, instead making it into a bigger discussion that proves their love and dedication to the film.
The writers have expressed in interviews that they believe Steve is living in the current timeline with Peggy, and not in some alternate reality as the Russo brothers believe he is. The difference of opinion between these two parties proves that there is no real correct answer here; if the filmmakers who collaborated on the project can’t agree, it’s up to viewers to make up their own minds, and no one is really wrong.