Key Takeaways:
– The “time heist” plot of Avengers: Endgame was inspired by the time-travel concept from the third Harry Potter movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban.
– Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely found resonance in how the Harry Potter film incorporated the unexpected element of time travel.
– The time-travel concept was pivotal in character development, especially for Loki in Avengers: Endgame.
Inspiration from the Wizarding World
Avengers: Endgame, often hailed as a masterstroke in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), skillfully wrapped up a saga that has spanned across decades. Known for its innovative narrative arcs and creativity, it's surprising to learn the movie drew inspiration from the magical world of Harry Potter. The third book and movie in the Harry Potter series – Prisoner of Azkaban – played a vital role in shaping one of Endgame's most intriguing plot points: ​time travel, also referred to as “time heist” in the movie.
A Story Connection Across Universes
Marvel and Harry Potter are two marquee franchises that significantly shaped contemporary cinema. They both underscore the infinite expanse of human imagination, producing tales that viewers globally have connected with intensely. An interesting trivia reveals that the time-heist element in Avengers: Endgame was influenced by the time-travel scenario unfold in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus, the writers of Avengers: Endgame, spoke candidly in an interview with ComicBook.com. McFeely expressed his appreciation for a sequence in the third Harry Potter film, where an unseen force breaks a vase, only for the viewer to later unravel it was the protagonists who threw the stone at themselves from the future. This delicate foreshadowing craftily introduced a level of intricacy in narrative design that inspired the ‘time heist' in the MCU.
Magic and Mystery: Definitions of Time-Travel
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, time travel is introduced through a mystical device, the Time Turner. This allows characters to revisit the past and even interact with their past selves. Comparatively, the time-travelling concept employed in Avengers: Endgame diverges from Potter's representation, but dynamically suits the mythos replicated in the MCU. The time-heist further accentuates the character development of fan-favorite, Loki.
Why Was Time Travel Delayed in the MCU?
Although time travel is a recurrent theme in Marvel Comics, it surprisingly made its cinematic debut only in Avengers: Endgame. The multiverse within the Marvel universe remained untapped until the introduction of the time heist concept by Ant-Man. There's a lingering wish among fans for a larger sprinkling of Easter eggs throughout the MCU movies, making the time-travel revelation more climactic.
During the same interview, McFeely explained the delay. When the MCU first launched, their vision for the timeline was unclear. Monetary restrictions also hampered the quick integration of these dynamic elements. Markus opined that introducing such complex features before the events of the Infinity Saga unfolded would've possibly complicated the MCU narrative, diluting the captivating suspense around the time-heist event in Avengers: Endgame.
For eager fans and intrigued movie buffs, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban can be streamed on Max while Avengers: Endgame is on Disney+. The combined viewing may just reveal more subtle similarities between the imaginative universes that have revolutionized the landscape of fantasy and superhero genres worldwide.
