What Each Original Avengers’ Absolute Point In The MCU Would Be - Screen Rant

mixdes.blogspot.com

Each member of the original team of The Avengers has an absolute point in their MCU arcs. First introduced in Marvel's What If...? episode 4 titled "What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands," the concept is explained as a fixed moment in time that cannot be changed as it defines the rest of a character's story. For the sorcerer in the animated series, that's the death of Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) — something that he had a very difficult time accepting, refusing to understand that it kicks off his life's most important journey.

Granted that the events of Marvel's What If...? take place in an entirely different reality than the Sacred Timeline, that's not to say that the idea of the absolute point doesn't exist in the main MCU. After the events of Loki which unleashed the multiverse, branches of timeline can now overlap and intersect with each other. In any case, even if the concept hasn't been officially named, it's still in existence when one looks at several heroes' respective arcs in the Infinity Saga.

Since they've been in the MCU since Phase 1, it's the most interesting to examine what the original Avengers' potential absolute points are. This is particularly fascinating for Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Captain America's (Chris Evans) respective stories are pretty much done. That said, the remaining ones also have their own fixed points considering the current trajectory of their narratives.

Iron Man

Tony Stark arguably has the most drastic personality change in the MCU thus far. Starting as a self-centered industrialist, he died a selfless hero who gave up his own life for the universe in Avengers: Endgame. The character's rebirth can be traced back to his near-death experience when he was abducted in Afghanistan in the first Iron Man film. There, he was confronted with the error of his ways, as he saw the weapons he designed to protect people used against them by the Ten Rings. But his kidnapping wasn't his absolute point, instead, it's the death of Ho Yinsen (Shaun Toub). Tony could've gone through the same experience without gaining a new perspective. It's his time with Yinsen, particularly the character's sacrifice that finally gave him the sense of urgency to change and do good. Somehow, it felt like Iron Man's subsequent efforts to be of service to the world was his way of proving to Yinsen that his sacrifice to save him was worth it.

Hulk

Due to complex character rights and other reasons, there hasn't been any more Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) solo film after 2008's The Incredible Hulk. Instead, Marvel Studios has been developing the character through team-up and ensemble films like the Avengers movies and Thor: Ragnarok. Still, it's safe to say that the character's story started with exposure to the Gamma rays that transformed him into the green-raging monster. Since then, Banner has been trying to live with two separate entities sharing one body, and his most accurate Hulk came in Thor: Ragnarok. Banner has already gone through a lot; by Avengers: Endgame, it seemed like he's in a stable place after finding a way to meld his two personas together to be Smart Hulk. But, considering his confirmed appearance in She-Hulk and rumored involvement in Moon Knight, his MCU journey is still far from over. Whatever lies ahead for him, however, his exposure to the Gamma radiation that birthed the Hulk will still be a factor in his future endeavors.

Black Widow

Unlike most of her fellow MCU founding heroes, Natasha Romanoff's origins story didn't play out in a single film. For the longest time, she had been mostly relegated as a supporting character despite the fact that she's an original Avenger. So while Cate Shortland's Black Widow isn't a traditional first solo film, it did reveal aspects of Nat's family life prior to The Avengers and joining SHIELD in a roundabout way to give the character a complete story. That includes her absolute point which is the time she spent in Ohio with her foster family: Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). This experience gave Nat her first and last semblance of normalcy. While she was never able to re-create it during her older years, it offered her an idea of what life is outside of the Black Widow program. It motivated her to eventually get out of the toxic system and carve her own path as an Avenger.

Thor

Because Marvel Studios took a little while longer to figure out how to approach the God of Thunder, it's easy to dismiss the character's first two solo films. But, that's unfair to Kenneth Branagh's Thor which did a great job introducing not just its titular character, but the entire realm that he inhabited. The 2011 film also included Thor's absolute point — which was being banished to Earth by Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Through this, the once cocky Asgardian Prince learned to be humble and worked to be worthy again of the Mjölnir. Aside from that, he also fell in love with Midgard and its people. This resulted in Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) attack in The Avengers, and Thor's joining the Avengers Initiative, even though he's not in Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) list of recruits. Years later, all of Thor's time on Earth motivated him to relocate Asgard in it after the events of Thor: Ragnarok.

Hawkeye

Like Black Widow, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is often overlooked in the MCU. Not much is known about his personal narrative as he's the only original Avenger who has yet to have his headlining project, although that's about to change thanks to the upcoming Hawkeye series on Disney+. Despite that, his absolute point has already been revealed in the franchise, which is his decision to spare Nat's life during their first encounter. It's worth remembering that Fury sent Clint to assassinate the Russian spy, but he made a different call. This was the start of their strong friendship. It’s one of the primary reasons why Black Widow was very motivated to sacrifice herself in Vormir in Avengers: Endgame. Somehow, it’s her way of paying back Clint’s goodwill by ensuring that he still has a chance to reunite with his dusted family.

Captain America

Steve Rogers receiving the super-soldier serum undoubtedly altered the trajectory of his arc in the MCU. Not that he won't be a hero had he not gotten it — something that the What If...? premiere explored and proved. But, being the recipient of Abraham Erskine's (Stanley Tucci) potion isn't Captain America's absolute point. Instead, it's Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and his cell going MIA. This was the nudge Steve needed to finally get out of being used as a propaganda mascot for the war. After saving his friend, he continued his heroic acts, significantly helping in the defeat of Nazis. More importantly, Steve proved that he's best utilized at the forefront of the battle lines. It fulfilled his yearning to represent his country and do good. Granted that Captain America: The First Avenger ended with him going into ice, it allowed the character to re-emerge decades later as a founding member of The Avengers.

More: Every Confirmed Avenger In Phase 4

Key Release Dates

Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)Release date: Dec 17, 2021
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: Mar 25, 2022
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023

Red Skull in Avengers Infinity War & Endgame and Yellowjacket in Ant-Man

Red Skull Set Up Yellowjacket’s Return in Ant-Man 3

Related Topics

About The Author

Ana Dumaraog (4714 Articles Published)

Accidental movie fan who is perpetually curious, Ana rekindled her love for writing several years back and married it with everything pop culture. The result is a passionate young writer who could ramble (and of course, pen) about films and series multiple hours a day. She has a soft spot for The Lion King, old songs, and home design; is currently obsessed with old sitcoms (The Golden Girls!); and won't dare watch any horror films although she’s (ironically) dying to see one. Though a bit late to the party and was an actual Force non-believer, she now finds the Star Wars franchise quite fascinating (fun fact: it was a crazy Jar Jar Binks/Sith theory that drew her in).