Chris Evans as Captain America in 'Avengers: Endgame'. Courtesy Disney / Marvel Studios
Chris Evans as Captain America in 'Avengers: Endgame'. Courtesy Disney / Marvel Studios
Chris Evans as Captain America in 'Avengers: Endgame'. Courtesy Disney / Marvel Studios
Chris Evans as Captain America in 'Avengers: Endgame'. Courtesy Disney / Marvel Studios

Marvel's 'Endgame': How the studio changed the movie industry with its superhero series


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"We're in the endgame now." It's Benedict Cumberbatch who says the words. But it's Marvel who means them. The line arrives at the end of last year's Avengers: Infinity War, as Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange and Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man sit battered and on the brink of a catastrophic loss that will, in one of the most audacious blockbuster endings of all time, leave less than half of their team of superheroes alive.

In a classic Marvel move, the line functions as both an Easter egg for fans – the name of Infinity War's feverishly anticipated sequel was hiding in plain sight all along – and a statement of intent.

After 11 years and $18.5 billion (Dh67.96bn) at the box office, Avengers: Endgame, the final instalment of Marvel's extraordinary tapestry of interwoven stories and intertwined characters, marks the finale of the greatest success story in cinema history. And I was there when it started.

From 2006 to 2014, I was editor-­in-chief of Empire, a magazine I'm probably still contractually obliged somewhere to remind you is The World's Biggest Movie Magazine. In 2008, there was simply no better place to be. That summer, Indiana Jones was coming out of retirement (he should have stayed there) in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Batman was back in The Dark Knight. And 007 was returning once again, in the sub-­editor's migraine that was Quantum of Solace.

For magazines like Empire, line-ups like these don't come along often, sure-fire news-stand smashes that have publishers rubbing their hands. Which is maybe why my publisher's hands very nearly ended up wrapped around my neck. "What's this?" he asked, eyes bulging with either fury or fear (it was hard to tell), when I showed him the cover we were running instead of any of those cash cows. "Who the hell is Iron Man?"

To be fair, it was a valid question. Now, it's Marvel's established formula to mix together third-tier super­heroes with unlikely talent and watch the magic fly. But a decade ago, this whole shebang sounded nothing short of nuts. Here was a character most of the public had never heard of, from the director of Elf (Jon Favreau), and played by an actor (Robert Downey Jr) whose most recent high-profile gig was 15 months in prison for possession of illegal substances and a handgun. "I felt like I might not get a shot at doing it because of the wreckage of my past," Downey Jr admitted in our Iron Man world exclusive. "Even though it had been long enough in my eyes."

A scene from the 2019 motion picture 'Avengers: Endgame'. Courtesy Disney / Marvel
A scene from the 2019 motion picture 'Avengers: Endgame'. Courtesy Disney / Marvel

Heck, it wasn't even as if Iron Man was the most obviously commercial Marvel movie of the year; the other one being Edward Norton's The Incredible Hulk, aka the Marvel movie everyone would now quite like to pretend never happened.  

Today, every studio is busily digging down the back of the sofa to see what "shared universe" of properties it can cobble together. Some, such as Warner Bros and DC, have struggled to maintain any sort of creative coherence. Others, like Universal's Dark Universe, the much-ballyhooed interlinking of their classic monsters, fell at its first Tom Cruise-fronted hurdle, The Mummy, and was swiftly shuttered – the studio quietly pulling the plug on Angelina Jolie's Bride of Frankenstein and Johnny Depp's Invisible Man

Conversely, the impact of Iron Man (a movie character I was the first magazine editor anywhere in the world to put on the cover, my ego would like to point out) was seismic, its $585 million worldwide forcing the naysayers to swallow their cynicism.

Come 2010's Iron Man 2, Empire had started its own small movie preview event, on London's South Bank. By coincidence, Downey Jr was in town, for – and I'm not making this up – ­Bono's birthday, although the actor headed back to Claridge's early with his producer wife, Susan, for room-service sandwiches and to watch his favourite TV show at the time, which was, somewhat ironically, called Banged Up Abroad. That's when I got the call. Downey Jr had heard about our event, and wanted to know whether I'd mind if he popped along with some unseen clips from Iron Man 2? A few hours later I was backstage with him, ready to surprise an audience of only 300 people with the ultimate cameo. As Downey Jr strode on to the stage, the room went bananas. Everyone screamed. Some even started crying. It was like a Beatles gig. That's what the man from Marvel meant to them.

If the Avengers really were the Beatles, then Iron Man would be McCartney to Captain America's (Chris Evans) Lennon. Which makes Thor (Chris Hemsworth) George Harrison and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, who replaced Norton in the role) good old Ringo. It was these key characters that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige – the architect of this incredible ecosystem of long-form storytelling – always planned to use as the foundations for his ridiculously ambitious Marvel Cinematic Universe. First, they would have their own stand-alone movies. Then there would be one with them all together – the biggest-budget superhero experiment ever attempted.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor in 'Avengers: Endgame'. Courtesy Disney / Marvel Studios
Chris Hemsworth as Thor in 'Avengers: Endgame'. Courtesy Disney / Marvel Studios

Feige's MCU is an extraordinary achievement, especially when you look at its conception. In 1996, Marvel had in fact filed for bankruptcy, having only kept their comic-book empire afloat by licensing out its best-known characters, such as Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. The company had even lost the rights to Iron Man; the unloved tin man passed from studio to studio before eventually returning home. Time was running out for Marvel, but a last-ditch plan was forming. The company went to Merrill Lynch and secured a loan of $525m, to make Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, and thus create their own production arm. The collateral against that loan? The rights to 10 of its biggest properties, including the Avengers, Black Panther, Ant-Man and Doctor Strange. If the gamble worked, Marvel would be king of a brave new world. If it didn't, it'd lose everything.

With great power, of course, comes great responsibility. And the unparalleled world-building Marvel has done since then has more than lived up to its own mantra – most recently with Captain Marvel and Black Panther. The former was female-led, both in front of the camera and behind it, and it's a beautiful and brilliant, billion-dollar blockbuster built on a genuine feminist apotheosis. And in Black Panther – a movie its director, Ryan Coogler, described as being about the hyphen between "African" and "American" – Marvel delivered the first comic-book movie to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. More than that, its black crew and cast gave black children everywhere not only a superhero to look up to, but a choice of which one they most wanted to be. 

Of all Marvel's success, that's surely the greatest tribute to comic-book writer Stan Lee's creations. His characters often confronted real-world bigotry and always celebrated the power of diversity. His superheroes really could make the world a better place. And now, they are again. Lee died last November, but he had already filmed his cameo for Avengers: Endgame, as he had for every other Marvel movie. With many of the Avengers as we know them saying goodbye in this movie and Feige describing it as the full stop on a story we've been following for more than a decade, it's only right that Lee should be there.

The characters will live on, for sure, with different actors in their suits. As will Lee's legacy. But for now, it's time to say farewell. The endgame is finally here. One last time, let's play.

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Scoreline:

Cardiff City 0

Liverpool 2

Wijnaldum 57', Milner 81' (pen)

While you're here
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Fixtures

Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs

Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms

Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles

Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon

Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

'Joker'

Directed by: Todd Phillips

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix

Rating: Five out of five stars

UAE v United States, T20 International Series

Both matches at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free.

1st match: Friday, 2pm

2nd match: Saturday, 2pm

UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Amjad Gul, CP Rizwan, Mohammed Boota, Abdul Shakoor, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat

USA squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (captain), Jaskaran Malhotra, Elmore Hutchinson, Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Jannisar Khan, Xavier Marshall, Monank Patel, Timil Patel, Roy Silva, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor, Hayden Walsh

Full Party in the Park line-up

2pm – Andreah

3pm – Supernovas

4.30pm – The Boxtones

5.30pm – Lighthouse Family

7pm – Step On DJs

8pm – Richard Ashcroft

9.30pm – Chris Wright

10pm – Fatboy Slim

11pm – Hollaphonic

 

The Cairo Statement

 1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations

2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred

3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC  

4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.

5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.

6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics

 

TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Directed by: Michael Fimognari

Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo

Two stars

The Little Things

Directed by: John Lee Hancock

Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto

Four stars

Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?

The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.

The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.

He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.

He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.

He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

ZIMBABWE V UAE, ODI SERIES

All matches at the Harare Sports Club:

1st ODI, Wednesday - Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets

2nd ODI, Friday, April 12

3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14

4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16

UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed

RESULTS

1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner: Dirilis Ertugrul, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer)
2.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: Kidd Malibu, Sandro Paiva, Musabah Al Muhairi
2.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,000m
Winner: Raakezz, Tadhg O’Shea, Nicholas Bachalard
3.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,200m
Winner: Au Couer, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar
3.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
Winner: Rayig, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m
Winner: King’s Shadow, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

Cry Macho

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam

Rating:**

UAE cricketers abroad

Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.

Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.

Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 290hp

Torque: 340Nm

Price: Dh155,800

On sale: now

Dubai World Cup factbox

Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)

Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)

Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)

Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)

MATCH INFO

Day 2 at the Gabba

Australia 312-1 

Warner 151 not out, Burns 97,  Labuschagne 55 not out

Pakistan 240 

Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52

The%20Kitchen
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EDaniel%20Kaluuya%2C%20Kibwe%20Tavares%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EKane%20Robinson%2C%20Jedaiah%20Bannerman%2C%20Hope%20Ikpoku%20Jnr%2C%20Fiona%20Marr%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
LIVING IN...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

THE SCORES

Ireland 125 all out

(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)

UAE 125 for 5

(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)

UAE won by five wickets