Cast
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man:The benefactor of the Avengers who describes himself as a "genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist" with electromechanical suits of armor he made. According to directors Joe and Anthony Russo, Downey was the only actor to receive the entire screenplay for the film. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely knew that Stark's death was inevitable as a "[move] to selflessness" and as an end to the "chapter" Stark began. They felt that his death was earned after granting him "the perfect retirement life ... That's the life he's been striving for [...] They got married, they had a kid, it was great. It's a good death. It doesn't feel like a tragedy. It feels like a heroic, finished life." Joe Russo said that Stark "always knew he was going to die because he could never reconcile that notion in himself of not protecting the universe," and was the most defiant of the Avengers: "Stark is the most formidable of all of them [...] because of his heart." The Russos sought Downey's approval for Stark's arc, which they had developed since Captain America: Civil War (2016).
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America:The leader of the Avengers, World War II veteran and former fugitive, he was enhanced to the peak of human physicality by an experimental serum and frozen in suspended animation before waking up in the modern world. Markus described Rogers as someone who is "moving toward some sort of enlightened self-interest". McFeely knew that Rogers "was going to get his dance" that he promised Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). He initially planned to complete Rogers's story arc by killing him off, given the character's long life for his occupation, before deciding to have Rogers bequeathing his shield to Sam Wilson. Patrick Gorman provided an on-set reference for an elderly Steve Rogers.
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk:An Avenger and genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a monster when enraged or agitated. Banner balances his two sides with gamma experimentation in this film, enabling him to combine his intelligence with the Hulk's strength and physical stature based on his "Professor Hulk" comic-book identity. Compared to other heroes who were demotivated by their loss to Thanos, Banner is the only character to remain hopeful; according to Anthony Russo, "Banner is the sole character who is actually forging into a bright new future, trying to build something totally new and find something completely new [...] Banner is the one who is most heroic in a sense that he maintains his will to keep trying." This concludes a character arc that was established in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and continued in Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
Chris Hemsworth as Thor:An Avenger and the king of Asgard, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name. Thor now wields a mystical axe known as Stormbreaker after the destruction of his hammer, Mjolnir, in Thor: Ragnarok. In the film, Thor has become an overweight, drunken ruler of Asgard's refugees in Tønsberg, Norway. Hemsworth said about this drastic character change, "I just had an opinion. I wanted to do something different this time. Each film I've wanted to, in particular, the last couple, and they were on board," and added, "We shot for many hours and days and discussed how far could we push (Thor) and what we could do different." According to Anthony Russo, "Even though there's a lot of fun to be had in the movie with his physical condition, it's not a gag. It's a manifestation of where he is on a character level, and we think it's one of the most relatable aspects of him. I mean, it's a very common sort of response to depression and pain." Thor's story was Russo's favorite arc: "Part of Chris' magic as a comedic actor is his dedication to the depth of the character on a very earnest level [...] It's so devious and subversive when comedy is coming from a place of complete commitment and emotional complexity." Hemsworth underwent around three hours of hair and makeup work for the transformation, which also required him to wear a large silicone prosthetic suit; he called himself "Lebowski Thor" on set. Thor was initially supposed to revert to his "old chiseled self" in the middle of Endgame, but Hemsworth wanted to retain Thor's new physique.
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow:An Avenger and a highly trained spy and former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Romanoff continues to command several teams from around the galaxy in the Avengers headquarters at the beginning of the film, which Joe Russo said stemmed from her inability to move on from their failure to stop Thanos: "[S]he's doing everything she can to try and hold the community together [...] She's the watcher on the wall still." On the decision for Romanoff to sacrifice herself for Barton to acquire the Soul Stone to bring everyone back, Joe Russo said that it was part of a larger theme of the desires to sacrifice or protect in Infinity War: "When she gets to that [Soul Stone] scene, I think she understands that the only way to bring the community back is for her to sacrifice herself." McFeely said, "Her journey, in our minds, had come to an end if she could get the Avengers back. She comes from such an abusive, terrible, mind-control background, so when she gets to Vormir and she has a chance to get the family back, that's a thing she would trade for." To prepare for the film, Johansson adopted an intense workout regimen which included plyometrics, Olympic weightlifting and gymnastics and a time-restricted diet. All were supervised by her longtime trainer, Eric Johnson, with whom she had worked since Iron Man 2 (2010) – the film which introduced her character.
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye:A master archer and a former Avenger and agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who was recently under house arrest. McFeely described Barton's dark turn as "a good example of people who had much stronger stories after the Snap". The film's cold open, with the disintegration of Barton's family, was initially supposed to be in Infinity War after Thanos snapped; it was moved to Endgame, however, with Markus saying that it was "going to blunt the brutality of what [Thanos] did." Joe Russo called it "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."
Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine:An officer in the U.S. Air Force and an Avenger who operates the War Machine armor. Cheadle described Rhodes's newfound belonging as an Avenger as "not so much straddling one foot in the military. He's much more on the side of The Avengers than he was prior." This is reflected on Rhodes's more instinctive and realistic worldview in the midst of encountering the fantastic; according to Cheadle, "He's definitely got some 'what-the-eff-is-happening' [attitude,] more than maybe the rest of them do, given his background. But it's a trial by fire, and he's quickly adapted to what [the threat] is, rather than what he wishes it were."
Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man:A former petty criminal and Avenger who acquired a suit that allows him to shrink or grow in size while also increasing in strength. Lang is portrayed by twins Bazlo and Loen LeClair as a baby, by Jackson A. Dunn at age 12, and by Lee Moore at age 93. This was Moore's final film before his death in August 2018. Markus explained that adding Lang helped with implementing time travel into the film, saying, "we had access to him in the second movie, and the fact that he was bringing a whole subset of technology that did have something to do with a different concept of time was like a birthday present."
Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel:An ex-U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and Avenger whose DNA was altered during an accident, giving her superhuman strength, energy projection, and flight. Markus said that Danvers's powers are on a scale that has not previously existed in the MCU and compared her personality to Rogers's, "which is sort of a person who's right and knows they're right and doesn't really want to hear it when you tell them they're wrong". Danvers has little screen time in the film, which McFeely said was "not the story we're trying to tell—it's the original Avengers dealing with loss and coming to a conclusion, and she's the new, fresh blood." Larson filmed her scenes for Endgame before beginning work on her solo film, Captain Marvel (2019), which was released first. Captain Marvel directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were present for the filming of her scenes in Endgame, and gave Danvers's characterization in the film their blessing.
Karen Gillan as Nebula:An adopted daughter of Thanos and an Avenger who was raised with Gamora. After being an antagonist or an anti-hero in previous MCU films, Nebula undergoes a redemption arc and makes amends for her past actions (including an encounter with a past version of herself); according to Gillan, she is "staring her former self in the face and it's really clear how far she's come from that angry, bitter and twisted person. She's starting to connect with other people and find some level of forgiveness." Gillan guessed that Nebula would play a prominent role in the film when she realized that Infinity War and Endgame would be adapted from The Infinity Gauntlet, which she had read when she was initially cast as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Gillan shared several scenes, most of which were improvised, with Downey in the film's opening.
Danai Gurira as Okoye: The general of the Dora Milaje, a group of elite women warriors.
Benedict Wong as Wong: A Master of the Mystic Arts and a companion of Doctor Strange.
Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan: The former head of security at Stark Industries and Stark's friend and former driver.
Bradley Cooper as Rocket:A member of the Guardians and an Avenger who is a genetically engineered, raccoon-based bounty hunter, mercenary, and master of weapons and battle tactics. Sean Gunn was again the stand-in for Rocket during filming, with his acting and expressions the character's motion reference. Rocket's appearance continues a story arc that was established by Guardians of the Galaxy writer-director and Endgame executive producer James Gunn in the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films, was continued in Infinity War and Endgame, and concluded in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).
Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts:Stark's wife and the CEO of Stark Industries. Potts wears a weaponized powered exosuit of armor made for her by Stark, based on the Rescue armor. Paltrow said this would be her final major appearance in the MCU.
Josh Brolin as Thanos:An intergalactic warlord from Titan who acquired all six Infinity Stones in Infinity War and triggered the Snap, killing half of all life in the universe. Joe Russo said that after Thanos succeeded, he was "done" and "retired". Markus and McFeely had difficulty in factoring the older, post-Infinity War Thanos into the film (because the character already had the Infinity Stones) until executive producer Trinh Tran suggested that they kill Thanos in the film's first act. Markus said that the character's early death improved his agenda. Thanos has less screen time in Endgame than in Infinity War, where he was considered the main character. According to McFeely, "We had to give ourselves permission to backseat the villain a little bit. I don't think anyone in the first half of the movie is going, 'Oh I wish there was a villain'. You're rolling around in the loss and the time heist, and you think it's sort of Avengers against nature." The younger version of Thanos was nicknamed "Warrior Thanos" by the filmmakers. In addition to voicing the character, Brolin did the motion capture. Joe Russo was a stand-in for Thanos for some scenes with Nebula.
Several actors from Infinity War reprise their roles in Endgame, including Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther, Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Letitia Wright as Shuri, William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Winston Duke as M'Baku, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw, Jacob Batalon as Ned, Vin Diesel as Groot, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Ross Marquand as Red Skull / Stonekeeper, Michael James Shaw as Corvus Glaive, Terry Notary as Cull Obsidian, and Kerry Condon as the voice of Stark's suit AI F.R.I.D.A.Y. Monique Ganderton again provided motion capture for Proxima Midnight.
Also reprising their roles from previous MCU films were Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne / Wasp, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Rene Russo as Frigga, John Slattery as Howard Stark, Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Marisa Tomei as May Parker, Taika Waititi as Korg, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne, Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton, Maximiliano Hernández as Jasper Sitwell, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow, Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, Callan Mulvey as Jack Rollins, and Ty Simpkins as Harley Keener. Sean Gunn reprised his role as Kraglin and was credited for the role, although he is not clearly visible in the film. Natalie Portman appears as Jane Foster in footage from a deleted Thor: The Dark World (2013) scene and a voiceover when Foster is talking in the distance. James D'Arcy reprised his role as Edwin Jarvis from the MCU television series Agent Carter, the first time a character introduced in an MCU television series appeared in an MCU film.
Hiroyuki Sanada played Akihiko, a Yakuza boss in Tokyo who opposes Barton. Lexi Rabe played Morgan Stark, Tony and Pepper's daughter. Katherine Langford was cast as an older Morgan, but her scene was cut from the final film. Emma Fuhrmann played an older Cassie Lang, Scott's daughter, after the character was played as a child by Abby Ryder Fortson in previous MCU films. Avengers co-creator Stan Lee had a posthumous cameo in the film, digitally de-aged as a car driver in 1970, in his final film appearance. Ken Jeong and Yvette Nicole Brown had cameo appearances as a storage facility guard and a S.H.I.E.L.D. employee, respectively. Co-director Joe Russo (credited as Gozie Agbo) had a cameo appearance as a grieving gay man, the first appearance of an openly homosexual character in an MCU film. Joe's daughters Ava and Lia Russo played Barton's daughter Lila and a fan of Hulk, respectively. Thanos creator Jim Starlin also appeared as a grieving man. The character Howard the Duck appeared in a non-speaking cameo.
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