“It’s the End of the Line”

I became a fan of Marvel when 2002's Spider-Man released; I enjoyed all three films starring Tobey Maguire.

Jump ahead to 2012, I hadn't watched Iron Man (1/2), Captain America: The First Avenger, or Thor. I watched Avengers randomly & became captivated by the characters/story. I watched all of these films to catch up & be able to fully understand Avengers. Marvel films have been a major part of my life for 17 years.

Avengers: Endgame released on April 26 (of 2019); I anxiously waited in line for over an hour for this global phenomenon. The crowds were a little chaotic, but nothing that was too shocking for an opening night. One "fan" attempted to start more than one fight due to others "cutting in line" in front of him while another fan passed out water bottles to everyone that wanted one. I don't think I've seen this type of theater/fan hype since I watched Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (on July 14, 2011). The lights dimmed & the audience became their true selves (aka Marvel fans). The fans joined together in the laughs, cheers, & tears. I loved this experience. Was all of this all worth it? Yes, I say "3,000" times yes. I won't delve full detail of every aspect of the film.

Marvel loves to draw emotion from us fans. I felt every emotion imaginable.

Tony & Nebula have been saved by Captain Marvel; Tony is weak (mentally/physically) & not willing to listen to Steve (due to the events of Civil War) & who wouldn’t be? The rest of the team go after Thanos (thanks to Nebula) & he explains that he destroyed the stones. Thor beheads Thanos & states, “I went for the head.” This drew laughter among the audience.

Five years later, Steve Rogers is leading a small therapy group session. Steve says, "you gotta move on. The world is in our hands." I didn’t think Steve Rogers could move on; he saw his best pal transform to dust. I thought that Rogers would then discuss how (after many obstacles) he’d just gotten his best friend back & maybe how Bucky was becoming his own self again. He only discusses his lost love, Peggy Carter (who passed away in Civil War). He was all for saving Bucky in Captain America: The First Avenger, The Winter Soldier, & Civil War. His drive/motive to help Bucky is just gone.

Time travel is key (aka the Quantam Realm/Physics) in this film or as Scott Lang christened it, “A Time Heist.” The team has to go back in time to collect the Infinity Stones (before Thanos collects them) & reverse Thanos’ “snap.”

Clint & Nat ended up on Vormir where the Soul Stone is located. The two have a scuffle & Nat was the one to take the leap in the end. Natasha sacrificed herself so that others could have a chance to live. It was eerily quiet (in the audience) & you could, of course, hear sniffles across the room.

A few time travel films were mention; Back to the Future & Hot Tub Time Machine. If any of you are Sebastian Stan fans (stars as Bucky Barnes in the Marvel films) then you'll know that he stars in Hot Tub Time Machine as well. Sebastian Stan mentioned it at the recent Jus In Bellos Convention in Rome, Italy (during his panel). "I remember I was watching the movie & they made that reference, I kind of looked around like excited, but no one cared." I cared (I know that other Sebastian Stan fans did as well). I honestly thought it was awesome that they referenced it.

Thor gained weight, played video games all day, & was constantly drinking beer. He became depressed in all that he has lost-his home/kingdom, his brother, his mother/father, & even Mjolnir. I see nothing wrong with making Thor seem more human in all the events that happened, but it's not shown as a serious issue. Mental illness is a serious subject that shouldn’t be demeaning. There is one part where Tony sees it as a serious issue; I won't describe it in detail, it's best seen for your own eyes & if you've watched the film, you'll know exactly what scene I'm describing.

The team is successful in collecting the stones & reversing the “snap.”

Time travel doesn’t come without consequence. 2012 Loki obtains the Tesseract in the aftermath of New York Battle (Avengers vs Loki/Chitauri) & disappears. Thus meaning 2012 Loki is running amok through time.

Side note:

Tony makes a remark (while glancing at Steve‘s ass) towards Steve while trying to obtain the Tesseract: “Mr. Rogers, I almost forgot, that suit did nothing for your ass.”

”No one asked you to look, Tony.” Steve stated.

”I think you look great, Cap, as far as I’m concerned, that’s America’s ass.” Scott Lang chimed in.

A little later while Steve is taking the Scepter/Tesseract he runs in to his 2012 self. There’s a fight & after 2023 Steve knocks 2012 Steve out, he checks out his own ass & says, ”That is America’s ass.” Laughter erupted among the audience.

Past Thanos becomes aware of the Avengers plan by Nebula’s memories. Past Nebula would do anything to get the approval of her father. The two are switched out (Past vs Present Nebula) & Past Nebula allows passage for Past Thanos to the present day.

The final battle is brutally brilliant. (At first) It’s Iron Man, Thor, & Captain America against Thanos. The three of them fight Thanos for a bit before Thanos gets ahead of the three of them.

Steve Rogers aka Captain America saves Thor (from Thanos) by hitting Thanos with Mjolnir. Mjolnir flies back & lands in Captain America’s hand. The audience went wild (including myself). Thor has the biggest grin & says, “I knew it!”

(Fast forward) Cap’s shield is broken & it seemed as if all hope is lost. I honestly thought that Cap was going to be killed at this point. He hears some static & then, “on your left.” That’s when the portals begin opening; Steve sees T'Challa (Black Panther), Shuri, & Okoye walking through the portal closest to him. Sam Wilson/Falcon flies out next & then more portals begin opening up. I wanted Bucky Barnes to be the first one to walk out of the portal. I thought back to “best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield.“ (The Winter Soldier).

Once all have returned/readied for battle (including the Guardians, the rest of the Avengers, Asgardians, & so many more) Captain America shouts, “AVENGERS....assemble!” The audience erupts in cheers.

In the end, Iron Man saves the universe by “snapping” away Thanos & his army. Tony Stark dies on the battlefield protecting his family & friends, ultimately, the universe. Tony gets to say goodbye to Peter Parker, Rhodey, & then Pepper. You see a teary-eyed Steve & Thor watch Tony say his goodbyes.

(Before Tony’s funeral, a small group including Pepper, Morgan, Happy, Rhodey, & Steve Rogers watch a holographic Tony Stark)

“Everybody wants a happy ending. Right? But it doesn't always roll that way. Maybe this time. I hoping if you play this back, it's in celebration. I hope families are reunited, I hope we get it back and something like a normal version of the planet has been restored, if there ever was such a thing. God, what a world. Universe, now. If you told me ten years ago that we weren't alone, let alone, you know, to this extent, I mean, I wouldn't have been surprised, but come on, the epic forces of dark and light that have come in to play. And for better or worse, that's the reality Morgan's gonna have to find a way to grow up in. So I thought I better record a little greeting, in the case of an untimely death, on my part. I mean, not that death at any time isn't untimely. This time travel thing we're gonna try and pull off tomorrow, it's got me scratching my head about the survivability of it all. Then again that's the hero gig. Part of the journey is the end. What am I even tripping for? Everything's gonna workout exactly the way it's supposed to.

[stands up and walks forward to bend down and look Morgan in the eyes]

I love you 3000.” -Tony Stark (IMDb.com for Avengers: Endgame quotes)

The funeral scene is heartbreaking; the camera zooms in on all that were at his funeral.

I questioned why Nat didn’t get a funeral like Tony did. She was an original Avenger as much as Tony was.

Steve decides to venture alone to return the stones throughout time. He says his goodbye to Sam & then to Bucky:

“Don't do anything stupid until I come back.“ -Steve

”How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you,” Bucky says, “I’m going to miss you, buddy.”

While I loved this throwback to Captain America: The First Avenger, I wanted there to be more of a heartfelt reunion-a discussion between the two of Steve’s decision of going back to be with Peggy. Steve had worked so hard at getting his best pal back & then he decided he needed Peggy more. It just didn’t make any sense for Steve’s character.

I find it confusing for his character arc; the directors/writers (the Russo Brothers/Christopher Markus/Stephen McFeely) worked on The Winter Soldier, Civil War, & Endgame). You’d think that the character of Steve Rogers would have the same motives in Endgame (as he did in all other films).

I’m happy that Steve passed his shield on to Sam, but I do wish that Bucky would have gotten the chance as well. During an interview with Dalton Ross (on the EW Radio show): Anthony Russo states, “Bucky has a damaged mind-I don’t know if you want to give another weapon to that guy.” Interview: https://youtu.be/ovhQA9gRviI. Bucky is recovering from all that Hydra did to him, but (if you want to get technical), a majority of these characters have damaged minds. The characters have all dealt with some of version of war (mentally &/or physically).

No matter on how the stories played out (or how I feel about the stories), the performances by Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, Idris Elba, Tom Holland, Karen Gillian, Josh Brolin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Pom Klementieff, Bradley Cooper, Rene Russo, Anthony Hopkins, Vin Diesel, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Gwyneth Paltrow, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, & many others were all MARVELous & timeless! Thank you to all of you for bringing these characters to life; I can’t wait for what Marvel has planned next!!

Overall, there are a few things I question, but it was one of the best films I’ve ever watched. The character interactions, the cinematography, the score (by Alan Silvestri), & the actors’ performances were awe-inspiring.

I ran a poll on my Facebook Page, “Reel Time Gabbin.” (https://www.facebook.com/269359963820278/posts/449216215834651?s=100000377557828&sfns=mo)

I received approximately 80-90 comments (among my page & two other pages as well) & 1K votes. A majority of the voters loved the film (& questioned certain aspects of the film-not enough Loki, Bucky/Steve not getting their reunion/Thor’s situation).

**I’m hoping that there will be more answers concerning Bucky when Falcon & the Winter Soldier is released on Disney +.

Falcon & the Winter Soldier will begin filming in October 2019 per Sebastian Stan at the Jus In Bellos Convention. I’m excited for the new Loki series as well.

I didn’t list every little detail of Avengers: Endgame due to how long the film; there is a lot of content for this film.

All quotes are property of Marvel/Avengers: Endgame (unless listed after quote).

All photos belong to Marvel/Avengers: Endgame