--- layout: post title: Fan Theory: Avengers Endgame/Wizard of Oz author: Steven date: 2019-04-18 10:03:17 categories: - Musings tags: - fiction - media - nostalgia featured_image: https://www.stevenjaycohen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/avengers-oz.jpg --- First off, I have no inside knowledge. There are no intentional spoilers in this post. The idea came to me this morning (7 days before Endgame will be released) and I just thought I'd share... Until now, when asked what I wanted to see happen in Avengers Endgame, I had a simple answer consisting of only 2 points: "Brooklyn" & "English" had better get that dance.Tony will sacrifice himself for the team. Brooklyn & English Dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtO-o7je9hU Steve's "Death Vision" from Age of Ultron As of the writing of this post, Hayley Atwell is not listed with a credit for Avengers Endgame, but I hope that changes. Peggy (English) and Steve (Brooklyn) have brought up their missed date numerous times. Steve carries Peggy's picture in that locket throughout all of his appearances on-screen. And, whereas the other character have true visions of death, Steve's vision is of the past. I don't think that difference is accidental. I think "he dies to the present" by returning to the past. After all of this time, I would be disappointed if Chris Evans' contract were to end without him making that date. It would be the only promise that Captain America ever failed to keep. Tony's Ultimate Sacrifice Since his first appearance in Ironman, Tony's journey has been from self-centered hubris toward a more feeling, caring, and ethical existence. The upcoming marriage with Pepper Potts points in general to his evolution over the course of the films. But, after seeing the trailers for Spiderman Far from Home, something else came to me... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XW1Ygatsz4 about 40 seconds in Starting at about 40 seconds in, Peter shows just how much he does NOT want to take his suit with him to Europe. I think his reasons are a bit deeper than his stated, "Europe doesn't really need a friendly, neighborhood Spiderman." I think that Tony Stark is going to sacrifice himself in Endgame, in part, in order to bring Peter back from the dead. Peter's statement about Europe not needing him is paraphrased from something he heard Tony say (20 seconds into the trailer listed below)I think Peter is quoting Tony because Tony dying in Endgame would elevate Tony to the level of Uncle Ben, who does not exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). And, with Tony's death fresh in Peter's mind, Peter really does not want to put any of his remaining friends in danger.I expect a scene with Tony and Steve arguing about which one of them should make the ultimate sacrifice. And, Tony convincing Steve that it should be him would completely resolve the issues between them too (as well as letting Tony go out in a final blaze of glory -- which, if you think about it, is so utterly Tony Stark) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39udgGPyYMg about 20 seconds in The Oz Connection? So, where's the Oz connection mentioned in the title of this post? This morning, while drinking coffee, I thought, "Only 1 week until we see if the Ironman gets his heart." That, of course, reminded me of this wonderful fan-made trailer done a few years back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeZ_F1op9N8 Of course, in that video, Ultron is the Tin Man, but it got me thinking... Dorothy Steve Rogers (falls asleep) goes into suspended animation (in Kansas) in the 1940s, and wakes up (in Oz) in the modern day. And, this feeds into my idea of him ending his time (in Oz) in the MCU by going (back to Kansas) back in time. Tin Man Tony Stark "was made without a heart" (he literally has a hole in his chest put there in his first movie) and over the course of his journey finds that he had one all along as he learns to care about others before himself. Scarecrow The Hulk has had a slow growing story arc over the last few films that feel like they are slowly becoming components of the Professor Hulk storyline (video explanation below). If this journey ends with Bruce and Hulk learning to coexist in their shared body at the same time, it could be argued that "Scarecrow" found the brain that he had within him all along. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKbqaj69zBg Cowardly Lion This one was difficult to correlate, and you may not agree with me. Hear me out (and post your ideas in the comments below). The only ongoing member of the MCU that could be seen as having a journey toward finding the courage that he already had within him, is Loki. And, if Thor ends Endgame by essentially taking his father Odin's place on the throne, where would that leave Loki as a character? After all, in losing his eye, he all but became Odin already. All he needs to do now is to hang upside down from a tree for 3 days! So, for Loki to grow in a way that would make him worthy of teaming up with (and eventually becoming) the Sorcerer Supreme in a future film (see video below), I'd say that Loki finally needs to own his inner strength in a way that really does mirror the Cowardly Lion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uer0HNbpS5c In seven days, I will likely be proved wrong. And, that's okay. I've enjoyed the nostalgic journey that the MCU films have provided over the last 11 years. I didn't realize just how many of these old comic book storylines that I still carried with me. Is the Wizard of Oz correlation intentional or accidental? I may never know, and that's okay too. Seeing the pattern, and realizing that it fits, is enough for me.