Steve Rogers’ Endgame: Did Captain America Break the Timeline?

At the close of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers takes it upon himself to return the Infinity Stones to their rightful places in history. His journey sees him handing the Time Stone back to the Ancient One in 2012, the Power Stone to Star-Lord in 2014, Loki’s Sceptre in 2012, and the Tesseract to S.H.I.E.L.D. in the 1970s, among others. But Cap doesn’t just stick to the plan—he makes a personal detour that throws a spanner in the works for the timeline.

Cap’s Detour: A New Branch in Time?

According to the time travel rules set out in the film, even a minor change in the past can spark a whole new branch off the main timeline. When Steve returns the Stones, he’s meant to close off those branches. Instead, he chooses to remain in the past, settling down with Peggy Carter and living out a life he’d missed. This move is a big deviation, considering the original timeline had Steve frozen in ice and Peggy marrying someone else. It’s likely that by staying, he’s created a new timeline that wasn’t meant to be snipped away.

There are two main schools of thought about what Steve’s decision means. One theory, backed by the Russo brothers, is that Steve’s choice created a separate timeline.

“It creates a branched timeline that was NOT a part of the Sacred Timeline.”

In this scenario, there are two Steves: the one living quietly with Peggy, and the younger version still frozen, waiting to be found decades later.

Alternate Theories: Was Steve Always Peggy’s Husband?

The other theory, favoured by the film’s writers, suggests Steve was always meant to go back and be with Peggy.

“Rogers was the mysterious husband of Peggy Carter all along (who was never shown in the MCU), and Steve Rogers was supposed to stay in the Sacred Timeline all along.”

This would mean he was always destined to be her partner, and his presence in the past was part of the original timeline. But this idea runs into trouble—what about the Steve still frozen in the ice? That paradox is why most punters lean towards the branched timeline explanation, even though it’s not without its own headaches.

Regardless of which theory you back, Steve’s return as an old bloke to hand over his shield to Sam Wilson isn’t fully explained. How he managed to cross back into the main timeline remains a bit of a mystery, leaving fans to fill in the blanks.

Potential Consequences: Incursions and Unstable Realities

During a chat between the Ancient One and Hulk, it’s mentioned that a timeline missing an Infinity Stone is open to attacks from other worlds—what’s called an incursion. An incursion is when two universes start to collide, which is never good news. Steve’s decision to stay in the past means there are now two versions of him in one reality: the older one with Peggy, and the younger one still on ice. This could leave the new timeline unstable for years, especially after Peggy’s death in 2016, and might even open the door for dark forces like Doctor Doom to make a move.

So, what started as a simple choice to be with his old flame could end up causing major headaches for the universe down the track. While nothing’s set in stone, there’s plenty of talk that Cap’s actions could have some pretty serious fallout.

Avengers: Endgame at a Glance

Key Facts:

Directed By: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson
Release Date: 26 April 2019
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Box Office: $2.7 billion worldwide
Production: Marvel Studios
Where to Watch: Disney+

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