Avengers: Endgame review warning: possible spoilers

It all started in 2008 with Iron Man. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) seemed to come out of nowhere and dominate the superhero genre. Now 22 films in, The Infinity Saga is coming to a dramatic end with Avengers: Endgame. The anticipation has been high, and the fan theories have been flying around since last year’s Avengers: Infinity War. And how the world can see what happens to the heroes. With a runtime of 3 hours and 1 minute, Endgame proved to be an exciting, emotional ride with a satisfying ending to this saga and opens the door to new heroes and new stories. What is the basic story of the film? What did I like? And what am I looking forward to?

The film opens 23 days after The Snap, the Avengers are searching for Thanos and the Stones in order to undo everything. Fast forward 5 years, the world is struggling to move forward. Monuments have gone up to honor the disappeared and governments are being pieced back to together as the world moves on. The Avengers are scattered, barely together as they deal with the aftermath and trying to find a way to bring everyone back. When a plan comes together, they must travel to uncharted territories and face new challenges they couldn’t train for and fight for the hope that they can restore the world’s population to what it was.

There is so much about this movie and in order to avoid as many spoilers as I can, I will discuss a few aspects that I enjoyed about the film. First, to see how everyone reacts differently in the aftermath of The Snap. Captain America tries counseling a few survivors. Thor sinks into a deep depression. Black Widow takes a leadership role in the Avengers and tries to keep everything running. And Tony runs from it all and makes a quiet life in the country. Second, I liked how the writers dealt with the time travel aspect. With many Hollywood films using their own version of time travel and Endgame discusses many of them and why they don’t work, I liked how they use the Quantum Realm and the Pym Particle. Third, I loved Hawkeye’s character in Endgame. He has been one of my favorite characters in the MCU since his quiet introduction in Thor (2011) and I loved how he has evolved. Even turning into a vigilante after his family vanishes, he still wasn’t willing to let his best friend sacrifice herself in order to get the Soul Stone. They battle over it. Despite his loss, despite the face they were trying to get everyone back, he was still willing to sacrifice himself to accomplish their mission.

This is usually when I discuss what I didn’t like about a film. However, there was very little I didn’t like about Endgame. So instead, I’m going to discuss what I’m looking forward to as the MCU movies into its next phase. First, Spiderman: Far from Home (opens July 2, 2019). I look forward to seeing Peter as he deals with the events of Infinity War and Endgame. How does he move forward? I am interested in seeing how the MCU will introduce the multiverse as the movie trailer hints that they might. Second, the other film featuring Marvel characters that I am not familiar with such as The Eternals and Shang-Chi. No exact dates have been set for these films yet. It will be exciting to see new characters and new stories in the MCU. Third, the sequels to the other films like Doctor Strange 2 and Black Panther. I am even looking forward to the Black Widow standalone film. I am also looking forward to the streaming shows that are planned for the Disney + service. The next phases of the MCU will be exciting.

In conclusion, Avengers: Endgame is a great ending to the 22 film, 11 year build up that has captivated audiences around the world. While it has been bittersweet to say goodbye to the storyline and even some of the characters that I have watched in action for 11 years; however, the future looks bright for the MCU. My only hope is that they keep up with the quality of stories and characters as they did with the Infinity Saga. One piece of advice though, if you have not seen the majority of the MCU films, then there will be much of Endgame that will be missed. I recommend watching all the MCU films. It will be worth it.