Marvel fans have spotted a 'Back to the Future 2' easter egg in 'Avengers: Endgame'
Note: This article contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.
Eagle-eyed superhero fans on Reddit have spotted a visual reference to Back to the Future Part II during the action-packed climax of Avengers: Endgame.
Reddit user malechite noted clear visual similarities between the Jaws 19 hologram in Robert Zemeckis’ future vision of 2015 and the demise of one of Thanos’ minions at the climax of this year’s superhero epic.
Read more: Behind the scenes look at the Endgame finale
The connection between the two scenes is certainly striking and, given the explicit references to Back to the Future Part II in the movie’s discussion of time travel, it seems likely that the Russo Brothers put in the visual nod deliberately.
Zemeckis’ sci-fi-comedy classic has been a touchstone for numerous time travel scenes this year on the big screen.
As well as Endgame, the film was clearly evoked in Blumhouse horror sequel Happy Death Day 2U, which also dealt in knotted time travel storytelling.
Read more: Why there won’t be a fourth Back to the Future film
The Russos have previously spoken about how their movie differs to the Back to the Future franchise in terms of its time travel mechanics, stating to Wired that they were “playing by a different set of rules”.
The directing duo have also admitted that they had to shoot additional scenes after their time travel rules proved to be too complex for test screening audiences.
Endgame is now recognised as the highest-grossing movie of all time at the global box office, scooping $2.8bn (£2.2bn) during its cinema run.
Read more: James Cameron congratulates Marvel for Endgame record
The film marked the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, which has been the over-arching story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since it began with Iron Man in 2008.
It appeared to mark the MCU swansong for a number of key players in the extended franchise, including Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans.