Captain America got his happy ending in Avengers: Endgame, but his fate actually created a secret tragedy elsewhere in the MCU’s Infinity Saga. Fans were already prepared for Endgame to be Chris Evans’ last appearance as Steve Rogers, so the major uncertainty was whether the hero would make it out of the Infinity Saga unscathed. Steve survived the Battle of Earth, but his ending was still bittersweet as fans lost the MCU’s main variant of Captain America.
Custom Image by Severina Chu
On his journey back in time to put back the Infinity Stones, Steve decided to stay in the past and live out life with Peggy Carter while an aged version of him appeared in the present day. Ever since his debut in Captain America: The First Avenger, the two had a tragic romance that never worked out timing-wise. Although it meant that the MCU’s Steve was undoubtedly retired, seeing the two happy together felt rewarding. However, Steve’s time travel poses a lot of questions for the present-day MCU timeline and brings up a bunch of hidden tragedies.
Old Steve Rogers Is Perfectly Set To Help Thor In Avengers: Endgame (But Can't)
Steve Can't Interfere With The Timeline
At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the Avengers come close to winning against Thanos. Thor severely wounds Thanos with Stormbreaker and it looks like the end is in sight, but Thanos ultimately pulls off his task since Thor struck him in the chest and not the head. This becomes a huge point of regret for Thor, and his obvious grief and depression are what debilitates him for the majority of Endgame. Now knowing that there was an older version of Steve out there all along, it begs the question of what the older Steve could’ve done to help Thor.
The older Steve likely knew about the Avengers’ struggles to achieve victory, which would’ve included Thor’s painful and unhealthy headspace after failing to finish Thanos off in Infinity War. As the leader Captain America has always been, he might’ve been tempted to step in and give Thor advice. However, he also would’ve known that doing anything that would potentially alter the timeline would have risked the fate of the universe. Even if Steve saw an old friend in pain like that, he would’ve had to let him be if it was how the timeline was meant to play out.
The MCU's Captain America Timeline Has A Bunch Of Hidden Tragedies
Steve Would Have To Let His Past Self Suffer
The arrival of an aged Captain America in the main MCU timeline brought up a lot of questions regarding time travel, but it now also brings up questions about Steve’s life. It’s unclear how much the elderly Steve is aware of in the current timeline, and how many of Steve’s past events he was there for. If he had been aware of his younger version’s journey, there’s no doubt that he would’ve felt tempted to step in and intervene in some of Steve’s bigger life tragedies.
The MCU’s Steve truly went through a lot, from having to fight his best friend who he assumed was dead to going on the run from the government after disagreeing with the Sokovia Accords. Older Steve would’ve known the outcome of these events would’ve been for the better, but his sheer existence in the MCU’s current-day timeline makes one wonder how much of it could’ve been avoided with the older Steve’s intel. Though it has been a while since Avengers: Endgame and Steve’s MCU ending, it is still a major discussion point years later.
