Bless his heart to 3000, but Chris Evans is not the person to go to for Avengers: Endgame timeline continuity questions. And he really won't know what to say when you ask if Steve Rogers went “Alabama” with Peggy Carter‘s niece, Sharon Carter. However, Evans did land on some nice compliments for the Marvel Cinematic Universe storytellers, and Don Cheadle jumped in with a decent enough timeline explanation. Also, the Russo Brothers provided a longer explanation on the Steve/Peggy front.
First, the Captain America star joined Don Cheadle (Rhodey/War Machine) and Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye/Ronin) at ACE Comic Con. A fan stepped up to ask Chris Evans about the Steve Rogers/Peggy Carter reunion at the end.
Steve returns the Infinity Stones to their original timelines and then chooses to stay in the past to live his life with Peggy, finally getting that dance. It was a beautiful bookend to their storyline in Captain America: The First Avenger. But it also confused some fans, like this one, who noted:
Like, was he then therefore Peggy's husband in this universe and kinda went Alabama with her niece?
The crowd laughed. Jeremy Renner quipped, “Lotta strange things happen in ‘bama.”
The moderator said that's a time continuity question and joked that no one up there was qualified to answer. But Chris Evans did his best to answer, with backup from Don Cheadle:
Chris Evans: You know, I'm not sure if I can give you those answers. … But you know what, look, that's weak as shit if I'm like I don't know… But ask the writers! [laughs]. I mean, look, I mean there's a lot of things you can question about the time continuum. But if there's anything I've learned about working with Marvel, they don't leave stones unturned. They really don't. I at times might share some of the questions, but anytime I've kind of asked the question of people, there's always an answer. There's always someone who kind of explains it to me.
Don Cheadle: And then you immediately forget what they said.
Chris Evans: And then I forget it. And then I come onstage, and then I say ‘Hey, ask Don Cheadle what it's like to be Don Cheadle!'
Don Cheadle: Steve exists on multiple planes and time is not just a straight line. There's multiple timelines.
Actually, that was a fine enough answer on its own. Thank you, Don Cheadle. I'm no expert, but isn't the running explanation that Steve created a new timeline? Or a “branch reality,” as the Russos put it? See their full explanation below.
Watch Chris Evans attempt to answer the question around the 24:00 minute mark of this helpful fan's ACE Comic Con video:
Avengers: Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely even said it was “always our intention” that Steve Rogers was the father of Peggy's two children. They added “there are time travel loopholes for that.”
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo also explained what happened to Fox 5 DC:
Joe Russo: The way that it would work, right, is that when Captain America goes back, he would create a branch reality. OK? Now he would exist in that branch reality with a second Captain America who was frozen in ice.
Anthony Russo: Peggy understood that he was dead at that point in the storytelling because Cap went back to a point in time where nobody knew he still was alive, frozen in ice.
Joe Russo: Now what’s also a story for another time is, of course, if he created a branch reality, he would then have to use a Pym Particle to come back to this reality to hand that shield off.
A story for another time? When do we get to see that?
The Endgame writers also tried to explain the Avengers/Spider-Man “plot hole”that stumped the Far From Home cast. Best not to ask the actors technical questions and save those for the writers, the director, or Kevin Feige himself. Make the MCU boss talk about going ‘bama with Peggy's niece!
Avengers: Endgame is now playing in theaters in a re-release, in advance of Spider-Man: Far From Home opening this Tuesday, July 2.
