A Fan’s Take On Endgame

Just last week, the highly anticipated Avengers: Endgame, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the last (that we know of) Avengers movie begins right after Infinity War in the MCU timeline. The original six plus some other superheroes devise their plan to defeat Thanos and bring back all those that died in the snap. Watching the movie, my Marvel-fanatic brain analyzed almost everything, so here are my thoughts.

Avengers: Endgame is a story of love, loss, and, well, time travel. That’s right: the theory highly popularized in the past year since Infinity War has come true. The Avengers, after learning Thanos has destroyed the Infinity Stones, set out on a quest through the quantum realm (see Ant-Man and the Wasp for a better understanding of what the quantum realm is) to travel to different points in their lives to collect the stones to bring back all those who died in the snap.

However, in a switch-a-roo with present-Nebula and past-Nebula, past-Thanos is able to go into the future (the present time of the movie) and fight the Avengers in order to take the Infinity Stones away from them and pursue his plan to destroy half of the universe.

With plot out of the way, let’s take a deep dive into what makes this movie the best in the MCU.

Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFly didn’t fail to include character moments that we all remember after the movie. Scott Lang’s one-liners and Tony’s sass are just a few among the humorous moments in the movie that had me laughing, distracting me from the impending doom of defeating Thanos.

Moments like Captain America finally using Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer, and Tony’s final line “I am Iron Man” make this movie so much more epic than Infinity War or any other MCU movie. I will never forget those moments no matter how many more movies Marvel produces in the future (I doubt they’ll ever stop).

Not only was the screenplay executed perfectly, but also the film incorporated references to previous movies. Alluded to in Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve and Peggy, his love interest before he went into the ice, finally shared a dance. After Tony’s funeral (I’m not sorry if you continued reading this even if you haven’t seen the movie yet), Morgan, his and Pepper’s daughter, tells Happy Hogan, Tony’s Head of Security, that she wants a cheeseburger, referring back to Tony demanding a cheeseburger after coming back to New York after living in a cave as a hostage in Afghanistan in Iron Man 1. These and more moments like these made super-fans like myself nostalgic for times before Thanos.

Endgame would not be what it is without its satisfying ending. In the midst of the climax when Thor, Cap, and Iron Man are fighting Thanos, portals begin opening with the help of Doctor Strange transporting those that came back once Hulk snapped the new Infinity Gauntlet to New York to help defeat Thanos once and for all. Finally seeing all these characters together was simply epic. 22 movies and ten years later, and they’re all here. We all knew in that moment the Avengers would succeed.

And to end it all, Tony Stark made his exit in the only way that’s right. He used the Infinity Stones to turn Thanos and his army to dust knowing the power of the stones would kill him. And they did. He died surrounded by the people that he loves most — Peter, Rhodey, and Pepper who whispered to him “you can finally rest,” referring back to his sleepless nights he experienced after the Battle of New York.

Movie after movie, characters have commented on Tony’s arrogance and selfishness, refusing to see that he has changed since becoming Iron Man, so it’s only fitting he died sacrificing himself so others could live.

After Tony’s funeral, Steve goes on the task of returning the Infinity Stones to the point in time they were taken from in the beginning of the movie in order to prevent alternate realities from being created. Instead of coming back to the present at the time he was supposed to, he takes the long way back. Steve decides to stay in the past and live out the life he’s always wanted. He finds Peggy and marries her, the connection to his previous life he continues to hold on to. Old Steve is seen sitting on a bench looking over a lake after everyone disperses after Tony’s funeral. Bucky, Steve’s best friend, encourages Sam a.k.a Falcon to approach Old Steve. He gives Sam his Captain America shield saying it’s his turn to become the iconic superhero. After this, 1950’s-esque music begins to play in the background and the movie cuts to a scene of Steve and Peggy dancing in the living room go the house they live in. They kiss, and the movie ends.

Steve is a man out of time. Since he comes to the 21st century at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, he grapples with leaving his past life behind him. And soon, he realizes that he is not the same man then went into the ice during World War II. But, he is given the chance to live the life he’s always wanted and he takes it, concluding Stever Roger’s story in the MCU.

Previously reported and confirmed by the Russo Brothers, there is no post credit scene in Endgame. But, there is a post credit sound. If audience members stay through all the credits, they will hear a soft clanging noise. This sound comes from Iron Man 1 when Tony is making the first ever Iron Man suit in a cave after he is captured by military personnel in Afghanistan. This sound is a testimonial to the MCU’s beginning, so it’s only fitting it ends with it too.

While Endgame closes the door on many characters, like Natasha A.K.A. Black Widow, it also opens the door for many questions.

With Tony gone, who will become the new face of Marvel? Some have suspected that Captain Marvel will take over Tony’s role as a figurehead for all things Marvel, being the most powerful superhero and all. Some believe Black Panther will replace Tony with the success of the movie in 2018. It might even be Sam Wilson as he takes on the Captain America persona.

Phase 3 of the MCU ends this July with Spiderman: Far From Home. With that in mind, we can only expect an end credit scene with a clue as to what will happen in Phase 4. Hopefully, these questions, along with the many more I have, will be answered in future movies.

Marvel has gifted us Endgame, a service to the dedicated fans of the past decade. Endgame is a celebration of what we all love about Marvel: the characters, the stories, and the heart.