The Scene staff
“Avengers: Endgame,” the epic finale of “The Avengers” franchise, is finally here. I’ve been waiting for this moment since the release of the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, “Iron Man,” in 2008.
“Iron Man” premiered on May 2 of that year. I saw it when I was 10 years old, and I was blown away. Ever since then, I’ve looked forward to the next installments in the franchise.
In the early days, nobody would’ve thought that the characters in “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk” (2008), “Thor” (2011) and “Captain America: The First Avenger” (also 2011) were in the same world and part of the same story. Then in 2012, they teamed up in “The Avengers.”
With the release of “Endgame” on April 26, the MCU franchise grew to include 22 movies, spanning 11 years. The 23rd will be “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” due out July 2.
“Endgame” is a culmination of all the MCU stories, so it has an incredible number of characters. Before hitting the theater, I would suggest first watching “The Avengers,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015), “Captain America: Civil War” (2016) and “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018).
I would also put “Captain Marvel” on this list. Released earlier this year, it introduced a new character, Carol Danvers, also known as “Captain Marvel.” She didn’t play as big a role in “Endgame” as I would’ve liked, but her scenes were definitely impactful and some of my favorites.
“Endgame” is a sequel to “Infinity War,” so they must be watched back-to-back. “Endgame” is the first MCU movie to run three hours, but you won’t even notice.
“Endgame” broke box-office records by earning $1.2 billion on its opening weekend. That wasn’t only in the United States, but in other countries, including China, where “The Avengers” franchise is very popular. By the second weekend, the movie had earned $2.1 billion, breaking even more records.
“Endgame” truly is an epic finale, filled with gripping scenes that are hard to watch and hilarious scenes that make you laugh out loud. There also are plenty of surprises to catch everyone off guard.
“Endgame” will have you cheering and mourning, shedding tears of joy but also tears of grief as the Earth’s mightiest heroes, The Avengers, complete their cinematic run.
“Endgame” is the perfect ending. The Avengers meet for a final showdown against Thanos, also known as “The Mad Titan,” the MCU’s biggest and baddest conqueror. He thinks of himself as a god who will save the universe from overpopulation and scarce resources.
Thanos knows that civilizations on other planets, including Earth, are suffering from climate change and starvation. His plan is to wipe out half of all life and restore “balance.”
I saw “Infinity War” last year at Ronnie’s theater. I expected all the MCU characters to finally team up and beat the universe’s biggest threat, end the franchise and send the Avengers to live happily ever after. But it only took a few minutes to realize that something was wrong.
This movie was different. It wasn’t about victory, but about failure. It wasn’t uplifting like most Hollywood movies.
At the end, everyone in the audience was shocked, including me. A room of a hundred people was quiet except for the whimpering and sobbing of those who had just lost their favorite characters.
No one could believe what happened. It wasn’t supposed to happen. How could it? They’re the Avengers! They’re the good guys! They can’t lose! But they did lose. I wept as I watched Spider-Man, Black Panther, Star-Lord and other characters I grew up with die.
In “Endgame,” the remaining Avengers team up one last time, but the “Infinity War” battle had taken its toll. Many have post-traumatic stress disorder. All fear Thanos, and most don’t want to go up against him again. They also struggle with an incredible amount of grief.
They are broken. They are barely recognizable. Their usual confidence, even arrogance, and expectations of winning every battle has been obliterated.
They’re also angry, and they’re ready to do anything to seek revenge for the loss of their loved ones.
Thanos is a formidable adversary, willing to sacrifice everything and everyone to accomplish his goal of balance. He also wants to make sure the last of The Avengers stay broken.
Prepare yourself by watching “Infinity War,” but if you think you’re ready for the endgame, you’ll be pleasantly and horrifyingly wrong. As The Mad Titan said, “The end is near.”