The Marvel Cinematic Universe spans nearly two decades of interconnected films and TV shows that tell one overarching story. With so many pieces on the board, it's only natural that some plot holes have slipped through the cracks over the years. Why didn't Tony ditch the arc reactor that was poisoning him in Iron Man 2, even when he was able to easily throw it away in Iron Man 3? How come the Eternals didn't help Earth's Mightiest Heroes defeat Thanos, especially since the Mad Titan's plan directly interfered with the Emergence? And across the wide cosmos, was there truly no other planet suitable for the Skrulls aside from Earth? That last one seems like a stretch.
However, there's one unexplained mystery that has been haunting Marvel fans for years, and that is the sudden appearance of Old Man Steve Rogers in the third act of Avengers: Endgame. See, the original iteration of Captain America traveled back in time to return every Infinity Stone exactly to the point in time and space it was taken from. That way, it was as if the Avengers never traveled through time in the first place, which would prevent the creation of a branched timeline. Everything seemed to check out... until Steve decided to stay in the past and grow old with Peggy Carter.
Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo confirmed that The First Avenger did, in fact, create a branched timeline with his actions. So how was Steve able to return to the original MCU timeline as Old Man Steve to pass the shield to Sam Wilson? While this moment remained unexplained for years, things could finally change in the upcoming years.
Old Man Steve reportedly lived through the events of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars
The Old Man Steve scenario starts to get even more convoluted when you consider that his character must have lived through the events of both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. After all, the original version of Steve Rogers traveled to the past, had a brief moment of happiness with Peggy Carter, and then Loki visited him, as revealed in the post-credits scene of Avengers Doomsday: Encore.
After that encounter, the First Avenger jumped back into action once more and helped Earth's Mightiest Heroes fight for the fate of the multiverse against Doctor Doom. So how is it possible that this same version of the character appeared at the end of Avengers: Endgame?
Industry insider James Mack revealed that the theory that Old Man Steve lived through the events of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars is true, and everything will be explained once the upcoming MCU crossover movies are released. Unfortunately, the source didn't elaborate on what exactly happened with Steve.
If the Steve Rogers who traveled to the past to live with Peggy is the same one who fights Doctor Doom and then appears in the ending of Avengers: Endgame, then we must assume that there's a time loop in play. One possible theory is that—after Earth's Mightiest Heroes defeat Doom—the timeline will go "back to normal" and Steve can be simply dropped off at the moment in time he was taken from (much like an Infinity Stone). That way, he can still live with Peggy in the past, grow old, and eventually hand the shield to Sam Wilson in the main MCU timeline.
But if Steve knew Doctor Doom was coming, why didn't he alert Sam, Bucky, or the rest of the Avengers? Well, perhaps the simplest explanation is that he isn't able to warn Earth's Mightiest Heroes of the events that are bound to happen; otherwise, they won't happen at all. If Steve lived through the events of both Doomsday and Secret Wars and survived, we must assume the good guys won. And if that's the case, why risk interfering with the timeline?
The Russo brothers have consistently stated that Avengers: Doomsday is a continuation of Avengers: Endgame, so hopefully the two movies will be more connected than audiences originally thought. If that's the case, then it's very likely that the MCU will finally fix one of its biggest plot holes seven years later.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on Dec. 18, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars will be released on Dec. 17, 2027.
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