99.99% of Screenwriters Will NEVER Write a Scene Like This
My last video covered how unique the Avengers: Endgame "portals" scene is. In this video, I examine the Avengers: Endgame script to see how Markus and McFeely wrote this unique masterpiece of a scene. Plus, I'll showcase how screenwriters like you and I can write similar scenes!

AVENGERS: ENDGAME SCRIPT:
https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/scripts/avengers-endgame-2019.pdf

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TRANSCRIPT:
99.99% of Screenwriters Will NEVER Write a Scene Like This
Screenwriting 101: Avengers Endgame "Portals" Scene Breakdown

Will I ever get to write a scene like this? No idea. But I’d like to try.

In my last video, I talked about why the Avengers: Endgame “portals” scene is so unique. It’s a needle in a haystack, one in a billion type of scene.

It’s so rare, most screenwriters will never write a scene like it. But, if you’re like me, you’d like to. Right?

Welcome to How Stories Work with Jay Sherer. Let’s dissect the Avengers: Endgame “portals” screenplay to see how it was written and what we can learn from it in order to become better screenwriters and storytellers.

Christopher Markus and Steven McFeely are two of the only screenwriters on the planet to write a scene like this that actually got produced… and if you watch my other video you’ll see why this scene is so unique.

But that doesn’t mean that other screenwriters–like you and me–aren’t CAPABLE of writing a scene like this… maybe one day we WILL get to write a scene like the “portals” scene.

So, what can we learn from Christopher Marcus and Steven McFeely?

The critical importance of FORESHADOWING and understanding where the CHARACTERS are in their ARCS.

Captain America, after getting pummeled by Thanos… stands back up. It harkens back all the way to Captain America: The First Avenger when Steve would get back up after being bullied…

Cap also wields Mjolnir, something he couldn’t do if he wasn’t willing to get back up, and something that was foreshadowed all the way back in Age of Ultron…

Thanos, knowing now how hard earth will fight back against him, becomes even more ruthless than he was in Infinity War. In this scene, Thanos takes down Thor, Tony, and Cap WITHOUT the Infinity Gauntlets. Why? Because Markus and McFeely are upping the stakes.

Sam radios in to Steve: “On your left…” Notice how effective the repurposing of that line is. Here, the line is repurposed to showcase something far deeper: “You’re not alone, Cap. We’re all here, and we’ve got your back.” It may be the single best line in the MCU.

Perhaps the culmination of the MCU up until that point: Steve Rogers says: “Avengers… assemble.”

Very few scenes work without context from the scenes around them and their context within the bigger story.

In the subsequent scenes, we’ll get to see Quill reunite with Gamora and Tony reconnect with Peter Parker. Those scenes get built on top of the “portals” scene to add additional emotional impact. These characters CARE about each other and seeing them get dusted DEVASTATED them.
Takeaway: Every payoff in this scene is built on the backs of previous character arcs and important plot points.

Writing the RISING ACTION
We’ve seen Steve Rogers get up before. Why does it FEEL different here? Because the STAKES are so much higher.

We could have seen Cap lift Mjolnir in Civil War, or Infinity War, but Kevin Feige and the screenwriting teams WAITED until it meant something even more profound. It doesn’t feel like fan service. Why? Because Cap NEEDS that weapon to fight against Thanos.

The “portals” scene is Plot Point 2 on steroids. If the Avengers fail, the portals never appear and Thanos wins. But the portals scene hits at the PERFECT time. And when those portals appear, the audience is sent a clear signal: Act 2 is over and now we’re flying ahead to a MASSIVE conclusion.

Takeaway: keep increasing the stakes throughout your script to capitalize on the audience’s release of emotion.

Screenwriters need to consider and plan for MOMENTS.
You’ll note in the screenplay, a lot of the “portals” scene and the scenes that happen around it are made up of EPIC MOMENTS.
Takeaway: make sure your script has EPIC MOMENTS, particularly moments that are visually enthralling.

The GOAL of the “portals” scene: DELIGHT the audience.