# Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
**Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely** are an American screenwriting duo best known for writing all three [Captain America](https://www.edgepedia.org/captain-america) films and the two-part Avengers finale, *Avengers: Infinity War* (2018) and *Avengers: Endgame* (2019), in the [Marvel Cinematic Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-cinematic-universe), as well as the three *Chronicles of Narnia* films. They have written together since 1995 and met in a graduate writing program at the [University of California, Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california-davis).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Partnership | Writing together since 1995[1](https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/marvel-film-screenwriter-career-graduate-captain-america); met at UC Davis's graduate writing program[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/26/why-captain-americas-farewell-is-so-special-writers-avengers-endgame/) |
| Early success | *The Life and Death of Peter Sellers* won them a Primetime Emmy (2004)[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/26/why-captain-americas-farewell-is-so-special-writers-avengers-endgame/) |
| Franchise work | The three *Chronicles of Narnia* films, all three Captain America films, *Thor: The Dark World* (2013)[3](https://www.grandriverfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Infinity-and-Beyond-1.pdf) • [4](https://pad.mymovies.it/filmclub/2015/02/088/MyMovies.pdf) |
| Avengers finale | *Avengers: Endgame* (2019): screenplay by Markus and McFeely; worldwide gross of $2,797,800,564[5](https://idus.us.es/server/api/core/bitstreams/80e36ee7-5c65-47ab-ae6f-141935406acf/content) |
| Television | Co-creators of *Agent Carter* (ABC, 2015–2016)[6](https://s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/ap-st01.ext.exlibrisgroup.com/64OTAGO_INST/storage/alma/17/20/D7/02/3B/E7/E7/56/B8/73/07/74/6C/49/F9/4B/bitstream_32178.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAJN6NPMNGJALPPWAQ%2F20260113%2Fap-southeast-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260113T053752Z&X-Amz-Expires=119&X-Amz-Signature=2ee9dfb97309f03472017c3e2c259424f882874feb0a84827a3d42a454b193a4&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B+filename%3D%22bitstream_32178.pdf%22%3B+filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27bitstream_32178.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf) |
| Recognition | Two Ray Bradbury Award finalist nominations, for *Captain America: The First Avenger* (2012) and *Captain America: The Winter Soldier* (2015)[7](https://sfadb.com/Stephen_McFeely) |
| Recent work | *The Gray Man* (2022) for Netflix; McFeely is writing *Avengers: Doomsday* and *Avengers: Secret Wars*, with Markus not returning[8](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81160697) • [9](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/everything-we-know-about-avengers-doomsday) |
## Origins of the partnership
Stephen McFeely (class of 1991) entered the [University of Notre Dame](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-notre-dame) intending to become a lawyer. During his junior year, the writer [Barry Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/barry-lopez) (class of 1966) visited his American Studies class, and McFeely began to consider writing as a career. He graduated with a degree in government and English, worked briefly as a teacher, and then entered graduate school full time at the University of California, Davis, where he met Christopher Markus[10](https://english.nd.edu/news-events/news/alumnus/). The two have been writing together since 1995[1](https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/marvel-film-screenwriter-career-graduate-captain-america). In a 2019 interview, McFeely recalled that about halfway through their first year of the program they realized they could write for Hollywood, and they made a pact: if their careers gained no traction by the time they turned 30, they would shake hands and pursue other lives[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/26/why-captain-americas-farewell-is-so-special-writers-avengers-endgame/).
## Breakthrough work
Their break came with the biopic *The Life and Death of Peter Sellers*, which won them a Primetime Emmy and further critical acclaim for its portrayal of the actor[10](https://english.nd.edu/news-events/news/alumnus/). This led to writing the *Chronicles of Narnia* film franchise for [Walden Media](https://www.edgepedia.org/walden-media) and Disney: *The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe*, *Prince Caspian*, and *The Voyage of the Dawn Treader*[11](https://magazine.nd.edu/stories/getting-in-the-game-from-peter-sellers-to-captain-america/). For *Prince Caspian* (2008), the screenplay was credited to [Andrew Adamson](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-adamson), Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely, directed by Adamson[12](https://plumaslibrary.org/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=100038&shelfbrowse_itemnumber=124324). The Narnia work, in turn, led to their hiring at [Marvel Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-studios) under its president Kevin Feige[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/26/why-captain-americas-farewell-is-so-special-writers-avengers-endgame/).
Their non-franchise credits include [Michael Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-bay)'s *Pain & Gain* (2013) and the independent dark comedy *You Kill Me*, starring [Ben Kingsley](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-kingsley) and [Téa Leoni](https://www.edgepedia.org/tea-leoni)[4](https://pad.mymovies.it/filmclub/2015/02/088/MyMovies.pdf).
## Marvel Cinematic Universe
Markus and McFeely first collaborated with Marvel on *Captain America: The First Avenger* (2011), which dramatizes how the undersized Steve Rogers became a World War II super-soldier through the Army's "super serum" experiment[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/26/why-captain-americas-farewell-is-so-special-writers-avengers-endgame/). They went on to write *Captain America: The Winter Soldier* (2014) and *Captain America: Civil War* (2016), along with *Thor: The Dark World* (2013)[4](https://pad.mymovies.it/filmclub/2015/02/088/MyMovies.pdf). Their partnership also extended to television: they co-created *Agent Carter*, which aired on ABC from 2015 to 2016[6](https://s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/ap-st01.ext.exlibrisgroup.com/64OTAGO_INST/storage/alma/17/20/D7/02/3B/E7/E7/56/B8/73/07/74/6C/49/F9/4B/bitstream_32178.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAJN6NPMNGJALPPWAQ%2F20260113%2Fap-southeast-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260113T053752Z&X-Amz-Expires=119&X-Amz-Signature=2ee9dfb97309f03472017c3e2c259424f882874feb0a84827a3d42a454b193a4&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B+filename%3D%22bitstream_32178.pdf%22%3B+filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27bitstream_32178.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf).
**The Avengers finale.** The duo wrote both *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame* as back-to-back productions, scripting narrative threads for scores of superheroes across a series of 22 interconnected films[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/26/why-captain-americas-farewell-is-so-special-writers-avengers-endgame/) • [13](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/sdcc-2019-endgame-writers-panel). At a 2019 [San Diego Comic-Con](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-diego-comic-con) panel, Markus said *Endgame* was about 99% done before *Infinity War* was released[14](https://mouseinfo.com/2019/07/sdcc-endgame-and-infinity-war-a-chat-with-christopher-markus-and-stephen-mcfeely/). Their planning process used a whiteboard with "baseball cards" of every available MCU character, linked to locations and story beats; the first draft was complete shortly after Comic-Con 2016[15](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1084899-comic-con-screenwriters-markus-and-mcfeely-share-avengers-insights). At the same panel they shared abandoned ideas, including a pitch in which Thanos would enter the climactic fight carrying the decapitated head of one of the Avengers[16](https://time.com/5630547/avengers-endgame-cut-plotlines/).
On *Endgame*'s biggest deaths, the writers stated in an interview with *Empire* that it was extremely unlikely that characters such as [Iron Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/iron-man) or Black Widow would return played by different actors. Markus said, "If you're going to take people off the board, they've got to go for real." He did not rule out a resurrection of the type used for Vision in the television series *WandaVision*[17](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/avengers-endgame-deaths-spoilers-reversal-tony-stark-black-widow-ironman-a8958676.html).
The pair also weighed in on the character's personal history in a 2021 interview: McFeely said, "I think he loses his virginity! Why do people think he's a virgin?", and Markus added, "He's not a choirboy, he's a World War II veteran"[18](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/captain-america-sex-marvel-virgin-b1889340.html).
## Working method
The two describe complementary temperaments. Markus said, "I have more ADD and he is more OCD"; McFeely put it as "Our neuroses dovetail nicely." Their collaboration with directors Anthony and Joe Russo has been a four-way one: Markus describes it as "a democratic roundtable way of creating," in which the best idea wins[19](https://time.com/4312912/captain-america-civil-war-stephen-mcfeely-christopher-markus/). For *Civil War*, they deliberately wrote the conflict between Captain America and Iron Man so that audiences would leave split between the two sides, aiming for viewers "walking out 50/50"[19](https://time.com/4312912/captain-america-civil-war-stephen-mcfeely-christopher-markus/).
## After Marvel
The duo moved to the [Russo brothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/russo-brothers)' Netflix thriller *[The Gray Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-gray-man-2022-film)* (2022), based on Mark Greaney's novel, with the screenplay credited to Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely; both also served as executive producers[8](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81160697). Markus later said he would not return to write *Avengers: Doomsday* and *Avengers: Secret Wars*, choosing to focus on other projects, while McFeely is penning the scripts for those films[9](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/everything-we-know-about-avengers-doomsday).
## Recognition
The science fiction awards database lists two Ray Bradbury Award finalist nominations for McFeely and Markus, for *Captain America: The First Avenger* (2012) and *Captain America: The Winter Soldier* (2015)[7](https://sfadb.com/Stephen_McFeely). Notre Dame Magazine and the *Guardian* have profiled their path from graduate school to blockbuster screenwriting[10](https://english.nd.edu/news-events/news/alumnus/) • [1](https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/marvel-film-screenwriter-career-graduate-captain-america).
## References
1. [Marvel screenwriters: our journey from grad school to Captain America, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/marvel-film-screenwriter-career-graduate-captain-america)
2. [Why the 'Avengers: Endgame' writers say Captain America is the most compelling character to script, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/26/why-captain-americas-farewell-is-so-special-writers-avengers-endgame/)
3. [Infinity and Beyond, Grand River Films (PDF)](https://www.grandriverfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Infinity-and-Beyond-1.pdf)
4. [MyMovies film notes: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (PDF)](https://pad.mymovies.it/filmclub/2015/02/088/MyMovies.pdf)
5. [Análisis de la película Vengadores: Endgame, Universidad de Sevilla repository (PDF)](https://idus.us.es/server/api/core/bitstreams/80e36ee7-5c65-47ab-ae6f-141935406acf/content)
6. [The Age of the Superhero (PDF, Otago University repository)](https://s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/ap-st01.ext.exlibrisgroup.com/64OTAGO_INST/storage/alma/17/20/D7/02/3B/E7/E7/56/B8/73/07/74/6C/49/F9/4B/bitstream_32178.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAJN6NPMNGJALPPWAQ%2F20260113%2Fap-southeast-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260113T053752Z&X-Amz-Expires=119&X-Amz-Signature=2ee9dfb97309f03472017c3e2c259424f882874feb0a84827a3d42a454b193a4&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B+filename%3D%22bitstream_32178.pdf%22%3B+filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27bitstream_32178.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf)
7. [Stephen McFeely Awards, Science Fiction Awards Database](https://sfadb.com/Stephen_McFeely)
8. [The Gray Man, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81160697)
9. [Avengers: Doomsday: Release date, plot, cast, and everything else we know, Space.com](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/everything-we-know-about-avengers-doomsday)
10. [Alumnus Finds Success as Hollywood Screenwriter, University of Notre Dame Department of English](https://english.nd.edu/news-events/news/alumnus/)
11. [Getting in the game, from Peter Sellers to Captain America, Notre Dame Magazine](https://magazine.nd.edu/stories/getting-in-the-game-from-peter-sellers-to-captain-america/)
12. [The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Plumas County Library catalog](https://plumaslibrary.org/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=100038&shelfbrowse_itemnumber=124324)
13. [Avengers: Endgame scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely at SDCC, Syfy Wire](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/sdcc-2019-endgame-writers-panel)
14. [ENDGAME and INFINITY WAR, a chat with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, MouseInfo](https://mouseinfo.com/2019/07/sdcc-endgame-and-infinity-war-a-chat-with-christopher-markus-and-stephen-mcfeely/)
15. [Comic-Con: Screenwriters Markus and McFeely Share Avengers Insights, ComingSoon.net](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1084899-comic-con-screenwriters-markus-and-mcfeely-share-avengers-insights)
16. [7 Insane Scenes That Wound Up Getting Cut From Avengers: Endgame, TIME](https://time.com/5630547/avengers-endgame-cut-plotlines/)
17. [Avengers: Endgame writers discuss film's devastating deaths, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/avengers-endgame-deaths-spoilers-reversal-tony-stark-black-widow-ironman-a8958676.html)
18. [Marvel writers address fan speculation over Captain America's sexual history, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/captain-america-sex-marvel-virgin-b1889340.html)
19. [Captain America: Civil War Writers on How They Crafted a Whole New Spider-Man, TIME](https://time.com/4312912/captain-america-civil-war-stephen-mcfeely-christopher-markus/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screenwriters and television writers › Film screenwriters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license