There is little doubt that Avengers: Endgame had one of the biggest climactic battles in cinematic history. After all, the final fight saw the Avengers gathering Earth's greatest warriors against Thanos and his massive army. Not surprisingly, an action sequence of this scale was influenced by another epic battle. Marvel has confirmed that a major scene in Star Wars was a major inspiration for the Endgame battle.
In Avengers: Endgame, Earth's heroes had to prevent the Mad Titan from a different timeline from getting all of Infinity Stones and the Infinity Gauntlet. Luckily, they were able to get reinforcements as the heroes who were previously "snapped" away were brought back and joined the action. This resulted in a massive battle sequence that ultimately ended with Tony Stark sacrificing himself to save everyone and send Thanos away.
So how did the battle come to be? The new book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe confirms that the studio chose the Battle of Yavin from Star Wars: A New Hope as "point zero" for the Endgame climax.
"The most crucial component of the MCU timeline was inspired by the most significant event in the Star Wars universe," the entry reads. "The Battle of Yavin (the conflict that culminates in the destruction of the first Death Star in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) is point zero for the franchise's timeline.
"Because everything has to exist in virtual time, Marvel Studios chose their point zero to be the moment when Tony Stark says, 'I am Iron Man.' Everything is laid out on the MCU timeline in relation to that point," the entry concludes.
It shouldn't be a huge surprise that A New Hope influenced Avengers: Endgame. The Battle of Yavin pretty much ensured the success of the franchise as audiences were impressed by its grand scale.
The final battle in Endgame may have been awesome but it also had the most heartbreaking moment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tony Stark's sacrifice gave the heroes the edge they needed but it also led to his death. Needless to say, it's a battle that Marvel fans will never forget.