Men in Black's Original Ending Nearly Went Full Avengers: Endgame
Men in Black is known for how it subtly handles the threat of an all-out alien invasion. But the first movie nearly went full Avengers: Endgame.
1997's Men in Black was a unique entry in the alien invasion genre. Based on the Malibu Comics series, The Men in Black (by Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers), the movies embraced the quirky bureaucratic side and leaned into its humor while exploring the fun and intensity of arresting literal extraterrestrials in New York City. Of course, the best aspect of it came from the dichotomy of Agent K and Agent J, played by Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, respectively. But the story of how the epic finale of Men in Black was crafted had its own unique shifts thanks to its disgusting and unsettling main villain.
Men in Black followed Jay as a new recruit to the MIB and partner to the seasoned and serious Agent K. They had to hunt down a rogue bug that was stranded on Earth and looking for a way home to return with a full invasion force. While there was an overlay of humor, the stakes were very serious and helped enhance the action of its climactic final battle. But according to director Barry Sonnenfeld and writer Ed Solomon, the initial version of the ending had an intergalactic conflict on Earth that was on par with Avengers: Endgame.
Men in Black's Ending Has Become Iconic
In Men in Black's original ending, Jay and Kay track down the bug who took the skin of his first victim, a man named Edgar, and shoot down his ship. Had the Edgar bug escaped Earth, he could've brought an invasion of his species thanks to a small galaxy that's used as a power source. But by shooting down Edgar the Bug's ship, they incurred his wrath, and the alien revealed his massive bug form and began fighting Jay and Kay. Thankfully, the bug was killed by the agents and an unlikely ally, Laurel Weaver, who delivered the final shot that blew up the bug.
What made the scene so memorable was that it was a culmination of a race against time that was set up from the moment that the bug crash-landed on Earth. There was also a matter of the setting being immediately iconic as Jay and Kay took on Edgar the Bug at the World Expo in Queens and fun dialogue like Edgar the Bug saying he'd put his hands on his head. This moment led to the reveal of Edgar's bug form and the immediate disadvantage it placed on Jay and Kay, who had to outsmart the creature that could kill them in one hit. Ultimately, it was luck and experience that saved the day, and all the while, the final battle never lost momentum, even when it looked like the day was lost.
Men in Black's Scrapped Ending Was Captured in the Final Cut
Avengers: Endgame showed what happened when a war of intergalactic proportions was brought to Earth and the damage it could cause as more than one species fought for the safety of a planet. While this worked as a culmination of ten years of storytelling, there was a similar idea in place for Men in Black. But rather than Earth being a primary player in its battle for survival, it was actually caught in the middle of a war between the bugs and another race.
In the original version, the bugs were a villainous race that fed off of the chaos of war and the casualties it inflicted. The opposing side, though not explained, was likely the Arquillians, who played a major role in the final cut of Men in Black and had the ability to destroy Earth on a whim. Earth was the unlikely third party in this war and served as the battlefield with the Men in Black fighting to prevent total catastrophe. As Solomon and Sonnenfeld explained, this idea ultimately didn't make the final cut because it became too complex for a first outing. The only downside was this change came just as principal photography was almost done, which meant that a whole new ending had to be written.
While the action-packed finale that was presented in the script wasn't shown, many aspects of the stakes and the chaos that would come of it were explained in clever and subtle ways. Dialogue played a more crucial role than ever as the power of the alien forces was explained by Frank the Pug, who knew every secret of the universe's biggest players. There was also the looming threat of an Arquillian battlecruiser that demanded the return of their galaxy, or Earth would be destroyed. By the size of the cruiser alone, it was clear the race meant business. But most importantly, when it came to the bug threat, Edgar the Bug carried the weight of why their race was feared, and it worked perfectly.
Having One Bug Raised the Finale's Stakes
Edgar had the crucial role of ensuring audiences understood that his actions as one entity could annihilate a small town. In doing so, it would also give context as to why having a full invasion of these aliens could only lead to Earth's annihilation to prevent the further spread of the species to neighboring worlds. Having one bug felt more like the traditional idea of a pest in someone's home and trying to get rid of them before they bring more. It's a simple premise on a grand scale that worked perfectly.
Having Jay and Kay go after Edgar also added to the idea of the MIB being cops, as two detectives had to track down a perp before they got out of their jurisdiction. As a result, having one bug satisfied the detective-style chase tone while conveying the stakes of the original script. In the end, Men in Black represented the perfect compromise of ideas because, even though there was no war on screen, the threat of one became just as terrifying and even more engaging.