If I think about it the entire MCU has been like a book series that I’ve been reading for over a decade now which finally came to an end. More impressively despite all the build-up and all the hype I think it was an entertaining powerful and well earned ending.
I feel like it’s a movie I have to see again to take in everything I probably missed the first time. Which I will. So instead the MVP’s (sometimes a bit general) but spoilers, spoilers, spoilers below!
Character Consistency
Oh over ten years they’ve grown, they’ve regressed and grown again and changed at times. But impressively Marvel never lost sight of the core Avengers. Their strengths and their flaws, powers and weaknesses, and essentially their relationships with each other even as they could push each other’s buttons like no one else (hello Steve and Tony.)
I really feel like whether I agreed with everything (I mostly did) the ends were earned.
Thor
Chris Hemsworth gets a lot of love for his comedy chops (well on display here) but I’ve long thought his character is one of the most tragic in the films. It’s been loss after loss for him and we saw him beginning to crack in Infinity War he full on goes over the edge here.
And Hemsworth is really good at getting the mix of the sadness and the comedy perfectly right. Also someone pointed out when he powers up again into costume he’s starting to look a bit like his dad and I thought that was so cute!
How they Used the Time Travel
Cap fighting Cap (who thought he was Loki), Thor getting to see his mom (who wouldn’t let him tell her the future), how they used Nebula to bring Thanos back into play and how Nebula stayed strong and reached out to original recipe Gamora I thought that was all incredibly well done. The ‘Hail Hydra,’ scene in the elevator is probably in my top three of the film.
Scott Lang aka Ant-Man
I thought Paul Rudd was great in this. I especially love his reactions and Scott still kind of being the total Avengers Fanboy that he is. I also liked that Cassie hadn’t disappeared but for her, he essentially had, in now she’s five years older. I’d add Rocket in there for pure reaction shots.
The Relationships
This probably could go under character consistency and character work period. But it worked for me. Nat and Clint fighting over who would sacrifice themselves to get the Soul Stone, Tony and Steve’s deeply messy but still ultimately caring relationship, Nebula and Gamora, Rocket comforting Nebula, Hulk and Banner making peace, Hulk and Rocket reaching out to Thor.
Nat reaching out to Clint and never giving up trying to find him. Tony being out until he saw the picture of him and Peter and then like going and fixing the time travel problem. Thor being thrilled when Cap wielded the hammer because as he yelled, “I knew it!”
The Final Battle
I’m not generally a battle action kind of girl but that, “On your left Cap,” in Steve’s ear. The entrance of Black Panther, the Wakandans, Spiderman, the Wasp, even Pepper showing up in her Rescue suit. Scarlet Witches fantastic moment in which she came so close to taking him out Thanos actually had to order fire on his own troops to stop her.
Carol’s epic re-entrance and taking out the ship. Valkyrie on her winged horse.
And yes I cried when Tony saw the kid again and pulled him into a hug.
Steve & Tony
I thought the way everything was settled between them was very human and well-done and stayed in character. Everyone in the movie got their heroic moments and I was happy with the bittersweet endings. Tony had his daughter, he knew Peter was safe and Pepper was there telling him he could rest. He made the sacrifice play and Steve went and had a life like Tony was always telling him to do. He had his dance with Peggy. And in my head canon saved Bucky a hell of a lot sooner, shut down the Red Room before they ever got to Nat and was Tony’s beloved always there for him Uncle 🙂
(Nat wiping the red from her ledger was a good one to only I assume we’ll see her again in the Black Widow movie so it doesn’t feel as final as these two even if it turns out to be a prequel.)
I love Bucky but I really appreciated Steve giving the shield to Sam who in my opinion has long been under-appreciated even by Steve.
So Avengers Endgame is definitely an “I Need to See this Again,” kind of movie. I thought it could have been trimmed a bit but overall, for me, it did the impossible and delivered what was promised and closed down a decade long epic in the best way possible.