Written by Erica Rose Jackson
We had time travel, new suits, friends getting back together, we have everything. I’m going to try to break this down by character because I think that will be the easiest way and I won’t touch on every single one because it would take too long. It’s like a recap mixed with a review and that’s ok. Consider this my love letter to all involved in the MCU. Hawkeye - Clint Barton Jeremy Renner’s character has always seemed to be troublesome for each director in the MCU but he finally gets the right amount of storyline in Endgame. The movie opened with him and his family just before the snap took everyone but Clint and it was heartbreaking to watch. He takes the darkest path of any of the Avengers after his loss by becoming the cold-blooded killer, Ronin. As Ronin, Renner was the most badass he’s ever been, but Natasha brings him back to the side of good when they have a plan to get everyone back. Renner does an excellent job in this movie which gives him a few big emotional gut punches to deal with. I will save one of those emotional moments for another character’s section. Black Widow - Natasha Romanoff In the first Avengers, I wasn’t sure about Black Widow because she didn’t have powers. I felt the same thing about Hawkeye initially. Scarlett Johansson won me over in Captain America: The Winter Soldier though and she’s been a favorite of mine ever since. Natasha is the only one, after the five-year jump, truly unwilling to give up and I’m glad because maybe they would have never fixed things had she lost faith. Natasha never had a family until she became an Avenger and she was willing to do anything to make sure they fixed what Thanos broke. Once the final plan is in motion, she goes with Clint to retrieve the soul stone. We all know what that takes but they had no idea. Renner and Johansson killed this scene while making me sob in my seat. Natasha makes the ultimate sacrifice and, after a fight, releases herself from Clint’s grasp. RIP Black Widow, you will be deeply missed. Ant-Man - Scott Lang When we last saw Ant-Man, he was trapped in the Quantum Realm and five years later, a rat freed him. Watching Paul Rudd as Scott Lang figure out what had happened five years earlier was really emotional. Can you imagine being gone that long and then discovering half the population was gone? The fact that he checked for his daughter before anyone else melted my heart. Ant-Man really is one of the best new Avengers. Lang was the key to getting back everyone who was dusted because he knows about the Quantum Realm and comes up with a crazy plan involving time travel. And of course, it works because they have Pym Particles. (Side note: I would have loved to see more Hank Pym) My favorite moment for Ant-Man was the return of the Wasp, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), and she calls Steve Rogers ‘Cap’. Captain Marvel - Carol Danvers Ok so Brie Larson’s role wasn’t quite as big as I thought it would be but all her moments were excellent. Captain Marvel saved Tony and Nebula from dying in space which I think the entire MCU is eternally grateful for. And she shows up right on time in the final battle. Her powers are so immense that she had to be held back or things might have been too easy. I can respect that as a good reason to not give us all the Captain Marvel we desire, or at least I desire. I was thrilled when Nick Fury showed up at the end because it was obvious how hard Carol was taking his death in Infinity War. The Hulk - Bruce Banner We don’t get to see Mark Ruffalo this time around because he’s Professor Hulk now. Bruce Banner figured out how to be both personalities, or beings, at the same time and it’s awesome. His attempt at time travel is hilarious along with his lackluster smashing when they go back to New York in 2012. Professor Hulk might not seem like one of the bigger characters after you leave the theater but his role was really important. He is the one who wears the Stark gauntlet and snaps everyone back into existence. Seeing the Hulk act like Banner gave the character a great new emotional depth that we got to see time and time again in the film. I hope we get at least one more round of Professor Hulk before Ruffalo throws in the towel because he is at his best right now. Thor We have reached the only character who I don’t think was treated correctly in the Endgame. Chris Hemsworth has played Thor in seven Marvel films and his character has grown throughout each story with Ragnorak really turning him into the God of Thunder. For whatever reason, the Russo’s decided to undo all of that and turn him into a depressed slob for the final installment. I don’t know if Hemsworth is done playing Thor but I really hope he’s not because his journey can’t end like this. When we find Thor, he has given up. He’s drinking all the time with a beer belly to prove it. He’s not leading his people and he only agrees to return to the Avengers and help for more beer. Now, he had a nice scene with his Mother while he and Rocket went after their stone (or sludge as Thor called it) but he just wasn’t the Thor we’ve seen him grow into. In the end, he decides to give away Asgard allowing Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Thor goes off with the Guardians. This could be very interesting if Thor is going to be apart of Guardians 3 but if not then this was very out of character for him. I am happy to report, though, that Thor’s was the only story I was unsatisfied by. Captain America - Steve Rogers Chris Evan’s ‘Cap’ seems to be getting the most controversial and mixed reaction from fans. Steve decides to go back in time and return the infinity stones to the locations and times the Avengers borrowed them from. But while he’s gone, he chooses to go back further and live out his life with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) returning to the same spot he left but as an old man. I choose to believe that in order for time to make sense, Steve always landed in the ice to unthaw and become and Avenger because he could never have gone back in time to choose Peggy if he hadn’t done all of that first. Maybe there should be an alternate timeline and old Steve shouldn’t be all to be there but it was for the moment. It may not make perfect sense but it was the right ending for Steve Rogers. And him giving the Captain America mantel to Sam (Anthony Mackie) was just right. I know some wish it was Bucky (Sebastian Stan) but Sam just makes sense. I can’t explain it but I feel it. Steve has a couple of my favorite movie moments to lighten this post up a bit. When he fights himself and the past Cap says, “I can do this all day,” and our Cap replies, “Yeah, I know.” That was so well placed. We all wanted him to say the line but that was such a good way to get it done. The discussion Tony, Scott, and Steve have about Steve’s ass is such an epic moment but it only gets better when Steve sees it on the past Cap, after the battle, and declares, “That is America’s Ass.” There are so many but I’ve already gone on too long with this post. The last one I have to give a shout out to is in the final battle. Things are looking rough for our heroes as they fight Thanos and his army then suddenly Steve can hear Sam on his earpiece. When we hear Sam say, “On your left,’ I lost it. What a way to turn a little joke from Winter Soldier into one of these most epic moments in the final stage. And, of course, when Steve says "Avengers Assemble!" Iron Man - Tony Stark This is where things are going to get really emotional. We first see Robert Downey Jr’s, Tony, almost dead in space leaving a message for Pepper Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow). It looks like he’s done for right then but as I mentioned before, Captain Marvel rescues him and Nebula. Watching Tony lose it on the rest of the Avengers from the last ten years and then collapsing to the floor was really hard. I hated seeing my favorite Avenger suffering so much. He’s too weak to even be asked if he wants to join on the mission to kill Thanos and undo the snap, which didn’t go well at all. Endgame jumped forward five years and we don’t see Tony again until the team realizes time travel is the answer but Tony is the only one who might be able to figure it out. He and Pepper have gotten married and they have a little girl named Morgan. I really like Dad Tony. I love him 3000! I wasn’t shocked that Tony turned them away because he’d finally made the life he wanted but I also wasn’t surprised when the picture of him and Peter made him at least look into the idea. Of course, he figures it out because he’s Tony freaking Stark. Luckily Pepper has finally realized he’s going to be Iron Man whether she likes it or not and he gets back to work. When he showed up at Avengers HQ and gave Cap the shield back, I was hit in the FEELS so hard. Their reunion was definitely one of the best parts of the entire film. Tony gets it all figured out and the team finds all the stones but accidentally lead Thanos to the future because of Nebula’s wiring. The final battle begins and everyone is there, even Pepper in the anniversary present suit Tony had been making her. After a long battle where Steve picked up Thor’s hammer and all the characters come back to join in the battle, Dr. Strange shows Tony what he needs to do. Remember in Infinity War when Dr. Strange said he saw fourteen million futures but there was only one where the good guys win? Well, we were in the one and when Tony is up against Thanos, Strange holds up one finger. Tony tricks Thanos into thinking he has the gauntlet but the stones are in Tony’s suit and he snaps while saying, “I am Iron Man,’ dusting Thanos and his army. Tony made the ultimate sacrifice and I cried so much but this was the exact right ending for his character. He got to reunite with Peter (in the best hug ever) and have five years of bliss but, in the end, Iron Man began this journey and he also had to end it. I’m sure there are so many other things I want to say about Avengers: Endgame and I know I want to see it again. This movie is a work of art even if it’s super emotional. The Russo’s got the stories right (maybe not Thor, but I’ll be patient) and we got the best ending to the best movies of the past eleven years. Thank you to the cast, all the directors, writers, and everyone involved in the MCU for this amazing adventure. I can’t wait to see what comes next with the new Avengers. Just know that Tony will always have a special place in my heart. What did you guys think of the film and each of the character's story arcs? Share your thoughts because I've been waiting to discuss!
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