MCU Retrospective: Avengers: Endgame
The (current) highest grossing movie of all time. The climax of an 11 year experiment. One of the biggest movie events of the last decade. Avengers: Endgame finally gets its moment in the spotlight. But is it worth all of that buildup?
Upon rewatch, I’d have to say only somewhat. The movie is phenomenal and brings closure to the current state of the MCU. As heartbreaking as it is to say goodbye to some of these beloved characters, for the MCU to evolve and bring itself new life it was a necessary sacrifice. But the biggest phrase that comes to mind when I think of this movie having finally seen it again is “fan service.”
This entire movie felt like I was trapped in some sort of fever dream. It felt like the writers of this movie tried to include as many elements from the comics that fans had been waiting 11 years for, such as Cap wielding Mjolnir or the signature phrase ‘Avengers Assemble.’ Not to mention the revisiting of past MCU movies for an entire third of the film. It was very fun to see that all, but also makes me feel like that movie is really missing any sort of substance.
I’m also quite confused by Captain Marvel. Leading up to Captain Marvel, Marvel hyped up the character so much claiming that she would be the key to stopping Thanos and completing the story. But 27 minutes into the movie Carol just up and peaces out until the very end. How exactly was she the key to everything?
All of that aside, this movie was just one emotional gut-punch after another. Scott seeing that his daughter had grown up without him being there. Thor coming to terms with his own fear of not only Thanos but of losing his mother all over again when going back in time. Clint and Natasha’s heartbreaking fight on Vormir to try and prevent the other from sacrificing themselves to get the Soul Stone. And of course Tony’s final sacrifice. Despite its flaws, this movie made me feel things and I hate it for it (but also love it).
While I do think that Infinity War told a better (and more coherent) story, Endgame was a worthy end to the current status quo of the MCU. While attempting to tie together as many storylines as possible they also allowed the newest elements of the universe to flourish and grow. While it’s sad to say goodbye to characters you’ve spent the last decade getting to know, I’m also excited as to where they take things next.