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Russo brothers debunk Avengers: Endgame Easter Egg

Apparently Richard Rider isn't in the background of Avengers: Endgame. It was all a "joke."

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
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Gael Cooper
2 min read
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It was all a bit of fun.

Marvel

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have pretty much revealed everything they could about Avengers: Endgame, which is now out for home viewing. Or have they?

In a video interview with Wired magazine, the brothers told viewers to look for a face that's familiar to some comic book readers.

They claimed that Richard Rider, a member of intergalactic police force Nova Corps, shows up in that enormous final battle between Marvel's heroes and Thanos' crew.

"You will see Richard Rider in the background of a shot," admits Joe Russo. "Easter egg."

But actually, he doesn't. In a subsequent interview with ComicBook, Joe Russo said the claim Richard Rider appeared in Avengers: Endgame was a "a joke on our part."

So Rider doesn't appear in the movie after all. Shame. 

The Russos also discuss other movie issues, some of which they've addressed previously. People who were snapped away but then brought back don't age during the time away, which is why Peter Parker is still in high school (though presumably a batch of his original classmates have graduated).

And the brothers said "pass" on a major question many viewers might have: "Why did you kill Tony Stark?" C'mon, fans, it's time to move on.

This isn't the only Avengers: Endgame Easter egg that's been touched on. Earlier this month, fans said they spotted Spider-Gwen in Avengers: Endgame, or at least a nod to her, in the scene where Peter and Ned reunite at school.

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First published Aug. 19, 2:46 p.m. PT.

Update, 4:49 p.m.: Adds Joe Russo confirmed the Richard Rider easter egg was a "joke" that got out of hand.