'Avengers: Endgame' Writers Say 3-Hour Film Is 'Exactly as Long as It Needs to Be'

For those that thought Avengers: Infinity War was a little intimidating at two hours and 40 minutes, the highly-anticipated Avengers: Endgame must feel particularly daunting. In an interview with Vulture, however, the screenwriters of Endgame, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, have stated that the movie is "exactly as long as it needs to be."

The pair were also responsible for penning the script to 2018's Infinity War, which they wrote parallel to Endgame over the course of four years. "Any shorter and it would have felt like we weren’t honoring all the threads and franchises that are feeding into this climax," McFeely explained. "Twenty-two movies in, not only has the movie earned its length, but people deserve a movie of that substance. I swear to God, it sounds like a paradox to say this, but it’s a lean three hours!"

He also said that Infinity War and Endgame were developed to tie up "at least six or seven" different storylines from different franchises within the cinematic universe. "If we told you the entire universe got snapped out and we were gonna wrap it up in a tight 85, you’d have issues," Markus added. They also revealed that at one point they had considered placing Thanos' fateful snap in Endgame over Infinity War.

"It’s part of the R&D process: What if we put it here? What happens?” Markus said. "To test out the alternatives. To know that the final decision that you’re already leaning toward is the one. Having The Snap gave Infinity War an ending as opposed to a cliffhanger. It made Thanos’ journey complete. He was the main character and had to succeed so that was that."

Fans won't have to wait much longer to see how the pair have wrapped-up all the storylines, as Avengers: Endgame finally hits theaters April 26.