From directors Anthony and Joe Russo, the highly anticipated superhero epic Avengers: Endgame will show the aftermath of the events set in motion by Thanos, when he wiped out half of all living things in the universe. Fractured and on a mission to save their friends by undoing everything that’s been done, the remaining Avengers will face off against Thanos in one final stand that 22 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been leading to.

During a press conference at the film’s Los Angeles junket, co-stars Robert Downey Jr. (“Iron Man”), Chris Evans (“Captain America”), Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”), Brie Larson (“Captain Marvel”), Scarlett Johansson (“Black Widow”), Mark Ruffalo (“The Hulk”), Paul Rudd (“Ant-Man”) and Don Cheadle (“War Machine”), along with directors Joe and Anthony Russo and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, talked about their individual journeys with this epic film franchise, and what it’s been like to be a part of this family, over the years.

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Image via Marvel Studios

Question: Robert, when you first suited up as Iron Man, could you have envisioned Tony Stark’s arc and where you wanted to see the character go?

ROBERT DOWNEY JR.: I’ve been thinking about this recently. There are always two tracks, at least in my mind. One is that the sky is falling, and the other is that the sky is the limit. As we had those many discussions, while shooting the film, I’m reminded now that I was talking a lot of smack and saying, “Wait until you see where this goes,” but in the moment, I was just hoping, day to day, that we were making good scenes and getting good stuff in the can. just wanted to not drop the ball.

Was it a surprise to you that Iron Man amassed an army of devoted fans, early on?

DOWNEY: I’ve been just feeling like I’m an oddball manny who’s been offered the opportunity to usher in this large family. We’re close and growing closer, by the moment, so it’s just nice. To me, it’s just the coolest relay race in the history of entertainment.

Relay race is a good way to put it because it’s not only been a collection of different actors portraying superheroes, but also filmmakers who are carrying the torch, from one film to another, all under the guidance of Kevin Feige. Kevin, you could not have predicted the 22 films that you’ve produced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, over the last 11 years, would be so wildly successful and popular. When did you actually begin to realize that you had something big on your hands?

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Image via Marvel Studios

KEVIN FEIGE: Well, big is relative. We hired a great director (Jon Favreau) to do the first film in the MCU, and then we hired a great actor (Robert Downey, Jr.), and we had fun making that first movie. The bar for success was pretty low. It felt high, at the time, but it was not that high. It was comparative to other Marvel films that had been out, which is what we wanted to compete with. But as we were making the movie and looking at dailies, and we were looking at effects tests coming in, we realized that this was really going to be special, and even perhaps more special than we thought. And then, in that opening weekend, and in response to showing that trailer for the first time in Hall H at Comic-Con, there started to be a much bigger wind behind our back. That was combined with Sam Jackson’s cameo that we secretly did, that leaked the next day, and people picked up that it meant this interconnected universe, which everybody knew from the books, but had never been done in the movies.

What makes Avengers: Endgame so special that it’s become the most highly anticipated superhero film, ever?

FEIGE: What’s special is all of the actors, and the family that has come together, over this decade plus. Part of the journey is the end. We’ve all talked about doing something that’s never been done before. Back to Iron Man, it was, “What if a superhero outs his identity at the very last shot of the movie? We can’t do that? No one does that. You can’t do that. What would we do next time? I don’t know. Let’s do it.” Four or five years ago, we started talking about, “What haven’t we seen in films based on comic characters? We haven’t seen an ending that’s a definitive conclusion to an overall saga.” That’s why it’s called Endgame, and why I think it’s very, very, very special.

Anthony, how will the surprise ending of Avengers: Infinity War and the aftermath of Thanos’ destruction affect the tone of Endgame?

ANTHONY RUSSO: Joe and I, we speak constantly about the debt we owe to [Jon Favreau] for starting this whole thing. We both remember that moment that we sat in the theater and watched that first Iron Man, for the first time. I remember that feeling of, “I wish we were a part of this.” We had no idea that, years later, we actually would be, so that was an epic moment in a movie theater. With the ending of Infinity War, one of our favorite storytelling adages is, “Write yourself into a corner.” And what we take that to mean is to put yourself in a place, on a narrative level, where you have no idea how you could possibly move forward from there, and that’s a very exciting place to be. It forces you to come up with some really creative ways forward. We’ve tried to do that with the endings of every single Marvel movie that we’ve done, and never more so than with Infinity War. We are very committed to the ending of that movie. We think that stories lose their meaning, relevancy and resonance, unless there are real stakes. For us, moving into Endgame, the story is very much about, how do these heroes deal with resounding, true, devastating loss? That’s what they’ve experienced in Infinity War, and it was a unique experience, for all of them. So, how does a hero move forward, from that moment? Our road into this story is, how is everybody, on an individual level, dealing with that experience? And then, how do they collectively deal with it?

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Image via Marvel Studios

Joe, what do you want audiences to experience when they watch Endgame?

JOE RUSSO: I think is a really unique experiment in movies, with this grand mosaic. Depending on how you count it up, there are 11 franchises that have been interwoven into one big narrative, and a lot of people have invested a lot of heart and soul into the characters. When we take these movies around the world, it’s really heartwarming to have people come up to you and say, “I started watching this with my classmates when I was 10 years old. Now, we’re all 21, and we’re gonna go see this together.” Or they’ll say, “My parents have taken me to every movie,” or “My grandfather has taken me to every film.” It’s a real sense of community and sharing in these stories and believing in them. With Endgame, we get the opportunity to finish off one of the grandest experiments in movie history, and bring it to an epic conclusion. What we’re hoping for is that people feel satisfied with the conclusion.

Chris Hemsworth, what has made Thor such an entertaining and beloved character, and what do you like best about playing him?                                    

DOWNEY: Yes, why are you so great? Tell us now.

CHRIS EVANS: Has he been? Out of all the Chrises? I’m curious.

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: The first time that the Marvel Universe came into my universe, back in Australia, I was straight out of high school and watching Iron Man 1 and thinking, “Oh, my god, I wish that I could be a part of that world.” And then, a few years on, I got cast as Thor and had the opportunity to embark on this thing. At the time, I thought, “Is this film even gonna make it past DVD, or make it to the cinemas, or am I gonna be recast?” What made it so special for me was just the different people that I was able to work with, starting with Kenneth Branagh on that first film, which was really completely in his hands. And then, through the films, with each director and each different cast member, I would learn something different. By the time we got to Ragnarok, I felt like I finally had enough confidence to go, “Okay, what is it that I could possibly bring to this?,” and then have this great collaboration with Taika [Waititi]. We really decided to do something different, to see how we could make it unexpected and unique. And then, I called Joe and Anthony and said, “Look, I’ve got this new version of Thor that we’ve just shot, and I wanna continue that version. I don’t wanna do the old version.” And they said, “We’ve got an even newer version for you.” It’s really just the people that have made this so special and unique, each time, with any of our characters and everybody you get to interact with. The fact that we’re all willing to be open to what new possibilities lie ahead for these franchises and characters has been a pretty remarkable journey.

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Image via Marvel Studios

Chris Evans, Captain America is a classic hero with an unshakeable moral code. What has it meant to you to play him, and what do you like best about Captain America in Endgame?

EVANS: I can’t really talk about that. Well, I guess I can give broad strokes. It’s just the completion of the arc. This movie does provide an ending. He’s been through so much. There have been so many wonderful elements, working on these movies. Not to seem like a safe answer, but honestly, the friendships and connections that I’ve made, over these 10 years now, it’s truly become a family.

DOWNEY: But you couldn’t make it to [Paul] Rudd’s birthday last night (April 6, 2019).

EVANS: Well, okay, yeah, I didn’t make it. I was exhausted. It was a long day yesterday. I’m sorry, Paul.

RUDD: It’s all right. I’m one of the newer guys.

DOWNEY: I went because I said I would. You at least texted and said, “Sorry, I can’t make it.”

EVANS: At least I texted.

Scarlett, you’ve been a part of this since Iron Man 2, and Black Widow has always been represented as strong and equal. What’s been the best part of playing this character?

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: The character really started as a sexy secretary with a skill set on the side. We didn’t know, and I certainly didn’t know, how the audience would react to the character and my interpretation of the character. Obviously, she’s been a very beloved character, for a long time. And then, the next time that we saw her, in Avengers, she was one of the boys, for better or worse, and that made sense then. And as the fans and audiences have really pushed Marvel, and all of the studios and filmmakers, to really throw up on the screen what represents what’s going on in the zeitgeist, and wanting to see diverse films and casts that represents their own aspirations and how they feel, the character has grown, in reaction to that, and the movies have really grown, in reaction to that fan encouragement. When Lizzie [Olsen] signed on, and then Cobie [Smulders] was there, we were all clinging to each other because it had been this testosterone fest, for such a long time, and it was so nice to see other female cast members. And then, with Brie [Larson] coming on, and Karen [Gillan] and Danai [Gurira], I’m amongst so many wonderful, strong actors. It’s grown beyond my wildest dreams. I could never have imagined where this would take all of us. It’s been quite a journey.

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Image via Marvel Studios

Paul, what can we expect from Ant-Man, this time around, and how does he fit in with the remaining Avengers?

RUDD: I know that I’m in it, but how I fit in and how any of this works, remains to be seen. It’s gonna be fun to have audiences discover. To echo the same sentiment as everyone else, there is a sense of completion with this story, but the relationships are forged. It’s a weird thing to be hired in any job, but for somebody like me, to step into it as it’s already picked up speed, it’s like having The Beatles say, “Come on, jam with us for awhile.” It’s an unreal sensation.

What’s it been like to be a part of this community of actors?

RUDD: It’s hard to put into words, honestly. Getting to work with all of these actors, in this series of films, is a one-off. It will never happen again. Not for me. I keep taking steps back and trying to recognize this for what it is, and it’s so surreal and profound and incredible to be a part of it. It’s amazing to meet so many people who are so passionate about it. It’s incredible to meet so many kids whose lives are affected by these characters, and to play a small part in that, pun intended. It’s just something that I will always treasure. It’s such an incredible feeling, and I’m just honored to be a part of it.

Brie, everyone is waiting to see Captain Marvel in action with the Avengers. How did it feel to work with them and connect Captain Marvel to the bigger MCU?

BRIE LARSON: How am I supposed to answer that without ruining everything? I came at just the most magical time, I think. To come exactly at this 10-year anniversary, when my first introduction to everyone was the 10-year photo, was really remarkable and special and super surreal. And I wasn’t allowed to talk about it, so the whole thing has always felt like a dream. This film will always be personally dear to me because it was my first time playing Captain Marvel. We shot this first, so I had to stumble and try to figure out who this character was, with no script for this and no script for Captain Marvel either, and then I had to perform, for the first time, in front of legends. But, it was incredible. There’s this balance of, as big as it is, it still feels like a bunch of kids, over summer break, making movies in my garage. There is still this sense of wonder and play and encouragement. This film deals with some heavy subject matters, so you’re bouncing in between things that feel very deep and serious, and then we’re going off and playing Boggle, which I’m very good at, just to be clear. There is no other word that I can describe it as, other than surreal. I’m super excited for this to come out, mostly just so that I can talk about it. I want to be able to talk about my experience, which I haven’t been able to do, for a very long time.

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Image via Marvel Studios

Don, What do you like best about playing Rhodey and suiting up as War Machine?

DON CHEADLE: I think it’s fair to say that Rhodey started lighter-toned, in a visual that’s bigger than I am, in real life. But as the character darkened and things became more compact, we’ve seen a real growth of this character. He’s gone through his trials and tribulations, over the course of these films, and he’s come out the other side and has his legs under him, and he’s able to really be a part of this team and contribute, at a high level. It’s been a lot of fun to see where he’s come from and where he’s gone, and to see what happens next. We’ve just had a great time, this whole time. Being together and having the Downey lunches that we have, that he’s put together, and to get to know these people whose work I’ve always known, and to get to know them as people and friends, and then to get to keep coming back to these relationships and seeing where everybody is, with some people having kids, and kids going on to college, and relationships starting and ending, it’s rare to have that kind of experience, over the course of 10 years, with the same group of people. It’s been really nice.

Mark, does this group of actors feel like a family to you?

MARK RUFFALO: It doesn’t feel like family to me because we all really get along well. There’s not that much drama. It’s a family that you wish you had. I’ve loved working with these guys. It was great knowing them. They’re great Boggle players. But there’s also something very bittersweet about this moment. As actors, we’re like vagabonds. We bounce around. We have these intense relationships, and then you don’t see anybody until you get nominated for something, or you’re in something that’s nominated, and you end up at an award ceremony.

EVANS: What’s that like? Speak for yourself.

RUFFALO: This is the closest thing that any of us really have to continuity and friendships, and watching people grow up and have children and get married, and then get divorced, and then get remarried.

JOHANSSON: (Joking) All right, you don’t have to just direct that at me. That’s very tacky.

Anthony, you guys have shown amazing restraint in what you haven’t revealed about this film, so far. How did not having feedback to trailers and major set pieces affect you putting the film together and putting its final touches on?

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Image via Marvel Studios

ANTHONY RUSSO: At the end of the day, my brother and I came to this material because we’re fans. We grew up loving the comics. We came to the MCU, already fans of the MCU. So, the energy that we move on is our own passion and excitement. That’s how we tell stories. We learned, long ago, that you have to tell stories for yourself. You can’t be thinking about how others might receive them. So, for Joe and I, because we have such an intimate relationship with the material and we have so many amazing collaborators, starting with Kevin [Feige], we are able to really fashion the story around what we want to see, as fans. How do we surprise ourselves? How do we excite ourselves? How do we challenge ourselves? How do we force ourselves to keep digging deeper and keep exploring this narrative and these characters, in ways that we never imagined? That’s how we guide ourselves through the process. And once the film is complete and we put it out into the world, we really have no idea how it’s gonna be received. Once that complete film is experienced and digested and responded to, that’s the moment where we are then filled up with a reaction. But once we conceive the film and start executing, we’re not really second guessing what we’re doing. We’re really focused on chasing the initial vision that we had for it. 

The end of Infinity War and the Thanos snap was very emotional for a lot of audience members to experience. Robert, what was it like for you to shoot that moment with Spider-Man, having him turn to dust?

DOWNEY: We were on that set for what seemed like four years. I just love the lighting in that scene. I look so shredded. No. It was one of those moments. I remember that [Joe and Anthony Russo] were there, and we re-staged it once or twice. It was crazy to shoot it, but it was just another day because it’s a movie. But then, I happened to see it with this amazing Scottish kid who couldn’t go to a theater, and his reaction really messed me up. It was one of those things where you go, “Wow, I think we just made a pretty serious choice here,” but audiences liked that. Audiences are so smart. We need novelty, and what the Russos and Kevin have been able to do is provide that in spades. 

Chris Evans, with Civil War, Infinity War and Endgame, Captain America has leaned into his tendency to be a leader. What does he think of other leads, like Captain Marvel or Black Panther?

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Image via Marvel Studios

EVANS: He tends to lean on those people who are of like mind and nature, and who are intrinsically selfless. All of these heroes have their baked-in-the-cake flaws, and that makes for really good conflict in storytelling. My favorite stuff in this arc has been my stuff with Downey because there’s such a dichotomy between how we approach things, but at the end of the day, our hearts are both in the right place. Introducing characters, like Captain Marvel and Black Panther, who also align very similarly to Cap’s nature, reinforces Cap’s sense of purpose and home. It’s an environment that feels more natural for him. It’s nice to see the pockets where he feels at peace, along with the pockets where he feels his buttons might be getting pushed.

Which of you prefer bearded Cap over clean-shaven Cap?

EVANS: I prefer bearded cap.

DOWNEY: I’m going with neither. I like Chris Evans with a beard with prosthesis over it, like when Joss Whedon asked him to come do the tag for the first Avengers. He had a beard that he couldn’t shave.

EVANS: I was in the middle of shooting Snowpiercer when they called me to do the shawarma scene, and I couldn’t shave the beard. They were like, “It’s okay, we’ll do prosthetics.”

FEIGE: Chris walked onto set and went, “I don’t think it’s gonna work Joss.”

EVANS: I looked liked I’d gotten a billion bee stings. I thought, “We’re making Ruffalo green. Why can’t we just lose this?” But we spent hours in the chair to put prosthetics on it.

Joe and Anthony, what’s one word that you could use to describe Endgame?

JOE RUSSO: Epic.

ANTHONY RUSSO: Powerful.

JOE RUSSO: Cathartic.

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Image via Marvel Studios

People have come to anticipate what’s going to happen during the end credits. How many extra scenes will appear in the end credits, or after the credits, for Endgame?

JOE RUSSO: Unfortunately, we can’t answer that question. Sorry. We don’t want to give any context away.

For young people who dream of being filmmakers, what skills does it take to direct an amazing movie, like Avengers: Endgame?

JOE RUSSO: When anybody asks us about getting started, we tell them that it’s about picking up a camera and shooting. You have iPhones now. Steven Soderbergh just shot an entire movie on an iPhone. And you have free distribution on YouTube, so you can put things out there. We discovered Donald Glover for Community on YouTube. It’s much easier now, for people’s voices to be heard and seen, than it was when we started, and you had to go out and get a camera and buy really expensive film and figure out how to get it developed. Find a story that you want to tell, be really passionate about it and care about it, and then go out and tell that story. That’s really the secret to being a successful filmmaker.

Avengers: Endgame opens in theaters on April 26th.

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