The final installment of the Avengers series, Endgame wraps up storylines and says goodbye to friends in a feature sure to tug at your heart.
Avengers: Endgame is about going back to the beginning. Not so much to the 2008 movie that kickstarted the Marvel juggernaut we have now: Iron Man. Instead, it goes back to a time when these characters weren’t icons, but simply figures in movies whose ending we could only imagine.
Audiences watching Iron Man, the first Captain America or Thor couldn’t fathom that in 11 years there would be a conclusion, let alone one of such epic scale and scope. Remember when we all thought this was just a fluke?
Watching Avengers: Endgame is on par with going to a high school reunion or a friend’s wedding. Once the credits hit, things will never be the same, and the experience of watching comes with its fair share of melancholy, love, and triumph. As someone who doesn’t always love Marvel, particularly its expansive worldbuilding and years in the making payoffs, Endgame certainly showed there was one, and it was just what we needed.
With the events of Thanos’ snap wrecking the Avengers emotionally, five years soon pass and the remaining members are finally starting to move on. But when Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) returns from the Quantum Realm with an idea to go back in time, the Avengers must band together to commit to a “time heist” that could save everyone.
For a movie that clocks in at three hours, there’s certainly plenty of bang for your buck. The Russo brothers keep things moving at a brisk clip, bringing their patented style of action and blending it with humorous quips that seem more inspired by the works of James Gunn and Taika Waititi. It makes sense, considering Endgame is a collaboration and culmination of every Avengers-associated property ever assembled.
There are clean section breaks that, at times, come off more as commercial breaks than chapter closures starting with the fallout of “the snap” and leading to the Avengers banding together to take out Thanos. Without spoiling things (#DontSpoilTheEndgame), the clips that have been released, including Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) meeting, composes a very small amount of time at the beginning. A series of events effectively closes things out quickly, leading to a time jump wherein everyone has settled, or at least makes an attempt, into their new lives and it is here where Endgame truly thrives.
Much of the film’s runtime is about the Avengers attempting to live in a world where they’re reminded of their biggest failure everyday. Some are able to hide their sadness, like Natasha (Scarlett Johansson), who has become the team leader of the Avengers, working with Captain Marvel as the universe’s police chief.
Others, like Thor, find themselves completely lost and wallowing (hilariously, I might add). And then there’s Tony (Robert Downey, Jr.) whose life has changed so dramatically he fears going back to the past more than anything. We only see glimpses of the cities affected by those lost. Memorials are erected, listing those who were dusted, and various cities look like ghost towns.
The arrival of Ant-Man injects some levity into things as it’s easy to forget that Scott hasn’t actually met everyone we’ve watched in these movies. He’s just happy to be there.
The introduction of his plan leads to several time travel movie references but it takes the film from the near hour of post-Snap exposition and kickstarts the main narrative of the “time heist.” This is a highly convoluted series of events that plays on every time travel conceit you can think of, and that’s the point. It also allows the audience to go back to the various Avengers high points, from their first teaming to the arrival of the Guardians. If anything, it plays like Marvel and Disney’s big pat on the back that everything we’ve seen (and complained about) was intentional, set up years ago to pay off right now.
This is a cramped movie, fitting in practically every. single. person who has ever appeared in these. If you’re looking for a specific someone who’s not a main player, expect them to do little more than stand silently. Outside of Natasha, the rest of the female cast don’t have anything to do.
Remember, this was made before Captain Marvel’s solo movie, so while we’ve seen her personality, this movie does nothing for Brie Larson short of give her a haircut and let her kick ass. Thankfully, the film’s finale has so many amazing fighting scenes with her and Captain America, it makes you forget how underutilized she is. If anything, this movie shows you how far the female characters have come since 2008.
The main cast acts for all their worth and it’s a lot! Robert Downey, Jr. is the one to beat as Tony Stark and it makes sense. Stark has been the architect, the father to all the Avengers, so it’s understandable that a large focus would be showing that he has changed in the last 11 years. He’s become a man whose priorities are now no longer what they once were and his side trip into the past, leading to a heartfelt moment with a person from his past, is beautiful. If anyone were to be up for awards for an Avengers movie, it’d be RDJ for what he does here.
He’s almost overshadowed by Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, who goes big in the other direction. His looks become a punchline, yet they mask his own inner torment. He gets a big scene with a key player from his past and, much like Iron Man’s, it’s beautiful in how it allows us to play with regret.
We all wish for a glimpse of someone we’ve lost and watching Hemsworth fight back tears is a lot. Just 10 years ago, it’d have been unthinkable to watch our Norse god break down.
And then there’s Chris Evans’ Captain America, whose scenes at the end will definitely leave you sobbing. (To say anything else would be to ruin what makes it so magical.)
Avengers: Endgame is a worthy and fitting tribute to the characters we’ve spent so much time with. An emotionally stuffed conclusion that says goodbye to a few and situates some to take us into the next decade of Marvel greatness.