10 Ways The MCU Has Changed How You See Avengers: Endgame

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A lot has already happened in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Avengers: Endgame, which changes how the Infinity Saga-capper is viewed. In 2019, Marvel Studios wrapped up the first chapter of their storytelling with an epic battle between Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Thanos. Aside from marking the end of an era for the universe, Avengers: Endgame also functioned as the final outing for some of the MCU's founding heroes such as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, and Steve Rogers/Captain America. Ultimately, the Joe and Anthony Russo-directed movie became a blockbuster and critical triumph for Marvel Studios.
It has been four years since Avengers: Endgame, and much has changed in the MCU. After an extended break on the heels of the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios started laying down the groundwork for its next overarching narrative called the Multiverse Saga. The franchise has also expanded its storytelling, adding a small screen branch with exclusive shows on Disney+. Currently, the MCU is in the second stage of developing the Multiverse Saga. With enough separation between the ongoing events in the universe and Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios has recontextualized the 2019 movie with some of its creative choices in recent years.
10 WandaVision Shows The Horrors Of The Snap Being Reversed

Following a schedule re-shuffle, Marvel Studios opens the Multiverse Saga with WandaVision. The Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany-led series is one of the most unique projects in the MCU thus far, with its sitcom-inspired storytelling. At its core, however, is the exploration of grief, particularly from Wanda Maximoff's point of view.
Towards the end, Marvel Studios expands on that by showing the reversal of Thanos' snap from Monica Rambeau's perspective. Smart Hulk's reverse snap in Avengers: Endgame may be the ultimate goal of the Avengers' time heist, but despite Earth's Mightiest Heroes' intentions, the way it happens on the ground is far from what they envisioned. It is chaos and confusion; for some, like Monica, it's the realization of what they lost in the five years that they were snuffed out of existence.
9 Undoing The Snap Has Global Repercussions In Falcon & Winter Soldier

WandaVision is followed by a more grounded project in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Thanks to its tone and subject matter, the series is able to further examine how Avengers: Endgame's snap reversal impacted common folks. As it turns out, it isn't universally celebrated because it created several more unintended problems. Unexpectedly bringing back half of Earth's population results in global turmoil, with nations scrambling to deal with the influx of people around the world. The Global Repatriation Council (GRC) has been instituted to deal with the fallout, but the issue is far too big and complex for just one committee to handle it.
8 Black Widow's Avengers: Endgame Death Gets Worse

One of, if not the most divisive moments in Avengers: Endgame is the death of Black Widow in Vormir. The Russos have tried to justify their decision to their decision, but Marvel Studios' Multiverse Saga has only made her demise worse. The Black Widow film, specifically, highlights just how underserved Natasha was in the MCU. If she survived Avengers: Endgame, she could have continued spearheading the rehabilitation of the former Red Room trainees and made up for the lost time with her family.
7 The Eternals Would’ve Made Defeating Thanos Easier

Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals boasts a star-studded cast of characters. It's the first MCU film to debut a full team since James Gunn's original Guardians of the Galaxy. Composed of some of the most powerful characters in the MCU, their non-involvement in the fight against Thanos has likely changed the MCU forever. Thor's ties to Kingo and the rest of the celestial beings mean that the God of Thunder could have recruited them in Avengers: Infinity War. While Earth's Mightiest Heroes end up defeating the Titan, there's a good chance that the Decimation may have not even happened if the Eternals helped in the fight against Thanos.
6 2012 Loki Is An Important Hero In The Multiverse Saga

The Loki show focuses on the God of Mischief as he grappled with his real identity. Featuring the 2012 version of the Asgardian Prince, the character is at his peak villainy at the beginning of the Disney+ series. Thanks to Mobius and the TVA, however, Marvel Studios is able to fast-track Loki's redemption. Now, MCU's Loki is one of the most important players in the Multiverse Saga. Aside from Team Ant-Man, he's the only one who has had a face-to-face with a Kang variant. More than that, however, he's the only one who understands the threat that will soon ensue following He Who Remains' death.
5 Hawkeye's Ronin Arc Becomes More Important

Disney+'s Hawkeye starts with Clint Barton in retirement. His fun vacation with his children in New York, however, turned into an unexpected mission as his secret stint as Ronin is threatened to be revealed. The series of events forces him to take on a prodigy in Kate Bishop. Despite still not fully diving into the reasons why Barton became Ronin in the first place, the series reveals more details about the circumstances of his stint as the masterless assassin. Avengers: Endgame has been criticized for wasting the character's popular arc in the comics, but somehow, the Hawkeye show attempts to make it matter in the MCU.
4 Doctor Strange 2 Cheapens Iron Man's Sacrifice

The emotional core of Avengers: Endgame is Iron Man's sacrifice. Motivated by Doctor Strange's claim that there's only one possible timeline where the Avengers end up winning against Thanos, Tony Stark decides to give up his life to ensure a universe free from the villain. MCU's Multiverse Saga subsequently debunks that idea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Marvel's What If...?. The Raimi-directed blockbuster features Earth-838 — a reality where Thanos has been defeated without the need for Iron Man to sacrifice himself. Marvel's What If...? also establishes other ways to take down the villain without seeing Stark die.
3 Iron Man’s Legacy Is Almost Non-Existent

As the Infinity Saga's true lead, getting used to not having Iron Man in the Multiverse Saga is difficult. However, Marvel Studios seem to overdo it by not even getting Stark Industries involved in any of the issue that the franchise has faced since Avengers: Endgame. This problem is most prominent in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel, which both feature the Department of Damage Control (DODC) — an organization that was created by Stark on the heels of Avengers: Endgame. Now, that DODC seems to be going rogue, either Pepper Potts or Stark Industries need to be accountable for their actions before they wreak more havoc in the MCU.