Avengers: Endgame has many emotional scenes. However, there is one in particular that made co-director Joe Russo tear up and it probably isn’t what many Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are thinking of. Opening weekend of the epic movie saw thousands of MCU fans crying in theaters as Natasha Romanoff died, Tony Stark died, and Steve Rogers went back in time to live with the love of his life. Those moments aren’t the ones that made Russo cry though.
Instead of those heavy hitting moments of Avengers: Endgame, Joe Russo’s came towards the beginning of the movie and they involve Clint Barton and his family. Barton is having a pleasant day with his family and about to have a nice meal when the Decimation happens. Barton’s family turns to dust and disappears. Russo had this to say about the scene.
“I’ve got four kids, and it’s a very tragic scene to open the movie with. It’s one of the few scenes in the movie that actually makes me tear up when I watch it, because I think about my own family. And then you think about what would happen to you, as a father. You’d become very self-destructive.”
Clint Barton’s scene was originally going to be in Infinity War, but the Russo Brothers, along with screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus decided it would be best to leave it for Endgame. It’s the scene that sends Barton over the edge as he goes on a murderous rampage, only to return five years later after Natasha Romanoff hunts him down with the help of Rhodey. Using that moment for Endgame allowed for the events of Infinity War to feel more real and urgent.
Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, has a pretty rough story arc in Endgame. He loses his family at the beginning and then has to choose between his life or Natasha Romanoff’s while they’re on Vormir to get the Soul Stone. Ultimately, Romanoff throws herself off of the cliff and Barton is devastated. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have said they nearly had Barton sacrifice his life, but they later decided to go with Romanoff. Thankfully, Barton is reunited with his family by the end of the movie.
Related: Relive Most Emotional Endgame Moment as Cast Share New Photos & Set Video
Avengers: Endgame is an emotional rollercoaster for MCU fans and it’s nice to see the creators behind the movie were affected by it too. It’s the end of an era and the Russo Brothers are taking a bit of a break from Marvel Studios in order to work on other projects that won’t consume years of their lives like Endgame and Infinity War did. They were able to help bring two massive movies to the big screen, which will more than likely go down in history as some of the best comic book movies ever made. You can check out the rest of the interview with Joe Russo over at Empire.
