Avengers: Endgame has arrived in theaters, and now that we've been taken on the epic, amazing adventure courtesy of the Russo Brothers, it's time to delve into what is arguably the greatest superhero movie of all-time. After all, there's an awful lot to discuss!
While I'm sure you've already read
my spoiler-free review, I'm now taking a closer, spoiler-filled look at everything in
Avengers: Endgame I believe did and didn't work. The movie is a masterpiece, so the issues which fall into that latter category are minor; despite that, though, I think you'll find them interesting and might just agree that they didn't quite click.
Whether you've seen the movie or have yet to check it out, there's a lot to delve into in this breakdown that will either prepare you for what's to come to serve as a handy recap.
So, to check out this article in its entirely, all you have to do is hit the "View List" button below!
Did Work: The Rules Of Time-Travel, Surprisingly
Time-travel is a confusing concept at the best of times, but
Avengers: Endgame does a good job of establishing some rules that work and aren't overly convoluted. Basically, changing the past doesn't change the future; that past would just become your new future if you stayed there and a different timeline would then be created.
Okay, that admittedly sounds massively confusing! But The Hulk does a great job of explaining it in the movie itself, and I'm now really excited about all the different ways this could be used from here.
While I don't expect time-travel to become a staple of these movies, I would be shocked if it doesn't fact into another adventure somewhere down the line, and the entire concept of creating new timelines and realities is a fascinating one that fans of the comic books will be all too familiar with.
Did Work: Revisiting The Past
Avengers: Endgame revisits the events of
The Avengers,
Guardians of the Galaxy, and
Thor: The Dark World. It also takes us back to the 1970s for a glimpse at that era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This is fascinating for a number of reasons. For starters, we get to revisit certain movies from different angles and see moments after the camera cut. For example, remember when Loki asked for a drink after being defeated by Earth's Mightiest Heroes? Well, we see what happens next and it's awesome!
Honestly, I can't imagine anyone being dissatisfied with how the Russos handled this.
Did Work: Farewell To Captain America And Iron Man
Alas, with this era of the MCU at an end, we're forced to say goodbye to some beloved fan-favourites.
Iron Man dies using the Infinity Gauntlet to stop Thanos and while it would have been nice to see him get a happy ending, he actually has that before deciding to help his fellow Avengers travel back in time. The fact he sacrifices a happy life to set things right makes sense for his story arc, and he definitely goes out on a strong note.
As for Captain America, he's lucky enough to receive the ending he deserves. Travelling back in time to return the Infinity Stones to their rightful place, Steve Rogers ultimately decides to remain in the past so he can live his life with Peggy Carter. As an old man, he passes his shield on to The Falcon and it's a truly great moment.
Didn't Work: Thanos 2.0
To say this didn't work seems a tad harsh, but the new version of Thanos who is introduced halfway through the movie feels too much like just another standard Marvel villain to me (which is obviously a let down after how layered the character was in
Avengers: Infinity War).
First, let me explain; Thanos is actually killed by Thor fairly early on but when the 2014 version learns of what the heroes are up to, he travels to the present day to get the Infinity Stones and create a new universe in his image.
It's a clever idea, but I think I would have preferred seeing the team face a new threat in the final act rather than reusing Thanos, especially as his story ends in the first act. This is a minor nitpick and he serves his purpose well, but I definitely think there was some room for improvement.
Did Work: Professor Hulk
We don't get to see Bruce Banner's transformation into Professor Hulk as it takes place off screen during that five year time jump, but that doesn't make what follows any less satisfying and fun.
Now the perfect mixture of brawn and brains, the Green Goliath delivers some of the biggest laughs in
Avengers: Endgame and just so happens to be a genuine scene stealer as this Hulk is so different to what we've seen on screen before now. Ruffalo is clearly having fun, and I'm glad he lives to fight another day.
However, with an arm badly injured from using the Gauntlet, who knows what comes next.
Did Work: Some Big Surprises
I've followed
Avengers: Endgame extremely closely over the past year and feel like I know about every toy, rumour, and theory out there. Despite that, I was still surprised by the movie, and it was a smart move by Marvel Studios to keep so much of it under wraps.
There are a lot of cameos from the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe (
find out more about those by clicking here) which I never expected to see, while the Russos deliver a lot of crazy moments I couldn't have ever imagined being brought to the big screen.
It's always nice to be surprised, and there's no getting around the fact it demands multiple viewings because I'm sure there's more to see. Personally, I don't think I'll ever forget the way my jaw dropped when Thor cut off the Mad Titan's head during the first twenty minutes.
Didn't Work: Shortchanged Superheroes
Again, I feel like I'm nitpicking with this complaint but the downside of focusing on the original six Avengers (which is a smart move by the Russo Brothers) is that when those dead characters return, many of them become background extras. That was inevitable and for the best in some respects, but Doctor Strange's screentime is ridiculously short after his importance in
Infinity War.
I guess the aftermath of being dead for five years is something that will be covered in the solo movies of these heroes; glossing over it will be a huge blunder on Marvel's part, that's for sure.
Despite this, I will give the film its due for doing its damnedest to make sure that everyone gets a chance to shine in the final battle - however, I do think we should have visited Wakanda at least once to see how T'Challa's disappearance changed things!
Did Work: Dead Means Dead
While the dusted heroes inevitably return, I have to give Marvel Studios credit for not conveniently bringing back some of the other characters who died. Like Gamora before her, Black Widow makes the ultimate sacrifice on Vormir but The Hulk points out that while he tried to bring her back when he snapped his fingers and used the Gauntlet, he simply could not.
Allowing Earth's Mightiest Heroes to bring back the dead would have been too easy. After all, undoing Thanos' actions is one thing but magically resurrecting the likes of The Vision and Loki would be a lazy move that makes it clear that death doesn't matter in the MCU.
Thankfully, there are still consequences in this world and I'm now far more intrigued to find out if the Loki that escaped from Thor's custody in 2012 is the one we meet in his Disney+ TV series, as well as what comes next for the version of Gamora who hails from 2014 and has none of her dead counterpart's memories.
Did Work: "Avengers...Assemble!"
I'm not going to say too much about this one, but the second Steve Rogers finally says "Avengers...Assemble!" is one you will never forget and a scene I can't wait to watch over and over...and over!
Didn't Work: Captain Marvel's Minor Role
Despite the unnecessary negativity surrounding Brie Larson, she's a fantastic Captain Marvel and pretty much everyone wanted to see more of her in action after her solo outing. Well, while she's present in the first act, the hero has left Earth by the time we jump forward in time and is nowhere to be seen until halfway through the final battle.
Now, she admittedly gets some cool moments to shine there (particularly going head to head with Thanos) but if Ant-Man and War Machine could travel back in time with the original six, why couldn't Carol?
It's almost as if the fact that she's so powerful and hadn't starred in her own movie yet left the Russos unsure of what they should do, but, on the plus side, I think her new costume is amazing as is her hairstyle. We definitely need to see a lot more of both in future movies.