Script Analysis: “Avengers: Endgame” — Part 3: Characters

Read and analyze the script for the hit Marvel superhero movie.

Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this bi-weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule:

Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Dialogue
Saturday: Takeaways

Today: Characters.

Characters are the players in our stories. They participate in scenes, move the plot forward through action and dialogue, influence each other, evolve and change. Each has their own distinct backstory, personality, world view, and voice. When a writer does their best, digging deep into their characters, tapping into their souls, the players in our stories magically lift up off the printed page and come to life in a reader’s imagination.

But there’s this: In a screenplay, characters exist for a reason. Hence my principle: Character = Function. Writers can shade and shape a story’s character in limitless ways. But if you dig down deep enough, you can find each character’s narrative function, and that can become a lens through which you develop the players in your stories.

Same thing with script and movie analysis: Look at each character and think about why they exist and what their function is.

Today we discuss the characters in the script for Avengers: Endgame. You can download the script here.

A list of the key players:

Tony Stark (Ironman)

Clint Barton (Hawkeye)

Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel)

Steve Rogers (Captain America)

Nat (Black Widow)

Bruce Banner (Hulk)

Rhodey (War Machine)

Scott Lang (Ant-Man)

Thor

Gamora

Rocket

Nebula

Thanos

Morgan

Pepper

I’ve probably missed a few, so many characters in this movie.

Screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely.

Plot Summary: After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos’s actions and undo the chaos to the universe, no matter what consequences may be in store, and no matter who they face…

Writing Exercise: Think about each character. What’s their function?

Major kudos to Alexis Howell-Jones for doing this week’s scene-by-scene breakdown.

To download a PDF of the breakdown for Avengers: Endgame, click here.

For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown discussion, go here.

For Part 2, to read the Plot discussion, go here.

To access over 70 analyses of previous movie scripts we have read and discussed at Go Into The Story, go here.

I hope to see you in the RESPONSE section about this week’s script: Avengers: Endgame.