Avengers: Endgame brings about an end to the MCU as we know it

Hayden Vance May 5, 2019 No Comments 1228 views All News, Comics, Editorial, Entertainment, Movies

Dread it. Run from it. Endgame still arrives. And with that arrival comes the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it.

BE WARNED! SPOILERS FOLLOW FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME

What Happened After The Snappening?

Following Thanos’ victory at the end of Infinity War, The remaining members of the Avengers on Earth have regrouped in an attempt to figure out their next move. Meanwhile, the survivors of the battle on Titan, Tony and Nebula, have been stranded in space, and are running desperately low on supplies. As Tony’s last sparks of hope begin to dwindle, none other than Captain Marvel arrives to escort Earth’s best defender back home. Unfortunately for the other Avengers, Tony’s near-death experience has led him to abandon any hope that Thanos can be defeated. Refusing to give up hope, Steve, Natasha, Banner, Rhodey, Thor, Rocket, Nebula, and the newly arrived Captain Marvel decide to hunt down Thanos and avenge their fallen friends.

Spoilers: The Avengers' Plan

The Avenger’s get word that Thanos has used the stones once again, and travel to Titan II to recover them. Unfortunately for them, Thanos used the stones to destroy the stones. Driven to the point of breaking, an extremely agitated Thor aims for the head and rids the Universe of the mad titan.

5 Years pass, and each of the Avengers tries to move on in their own way. Rocket and Nebula return to space and work towards keeping peace with Captain Marvel, while Okoye, Natasha, and Rhodey work around the world to stop any criminals from getting out of hand. Steve leads a support group for people trying to cope with the Decimation, as the events of Infinity War have come to be known. Tony has finally retired with his beloved Pepper, and after building her a lovely house as he promised, the two have a daughter, Morgan Stark. Thor has reunited with the survivors of Asgard and has led his people to a new home in Norway.

While everyone is trying their best to move on over 5 years, Scott Lang has been trapped in the Quantum Realm. After his van’s Quantum Tunnel is accidentally reactivated, Scott escapes and heads to New York to seek help from the Avengers. Scott ends up realizing that the best way to get everyone back who perished in the Decimation is to travel through the Quantum Realm to different points in time to obtain the Infinity Stones, and use them to revive everyone.

How did everything work out?

Spoilers: The Time Heist

The Avengers divide into three teams in order to obtain the Infinity Stones. Steve, Tony, Banner and Scott go to New York in 2012 to recover the Space, Mind, and Time stones. Thor and Rocket go to Asgard in 2013 to get the Reality Stone. Nebula and Rhodey go to Morag in 2014 to get the Power Stone, while Clint, now going by the codename Ronin, and Natasha go to Vormir to get the Soul Stone. Unfortunately, everything goes wrong from there. Tony loses the space stone to Loki, Thor gets distracted by seeing his mother again, and Nebula is captured by the Thanos, Gamorra, and Nebula of 2014. Tony and Steve then go after the Space stone in 1970, and also stop to resupply the Pym Particles enabling them to traverse the Quantum Realm. While in the seventies, Tony reunites with his father, and the two have a heartfelt conversation where Tony finally gets to thank his father for everything he did. Rocket manages to steal the Reality stone while Thor’s mother comforts her confused son. Before departing, Thor reclaims Mjolnir and discovers that he is still worthy of the Hammer, despite considering himself a failure for not stopping Thanos. Clint and Natasha discover that one cannot obtain the soul stone without sacrificing a soul. The two each attempt to sacrifice themselves, until Natasha uses Clint’s grappling hook to tie him to the cliff, while launching herself off in one of the most heartfelt and traumatizing scenes in the MCU. Thanos discovers the Avengers’ plan and sends the 2014 Nebula back to the future in order to open a portal for Thanos’ army to come through and destroy the Avengers once and for all.

The Greatest Final Battle in the History of film

Spoilers: The End

After the barely successful Time Heist, the Avengers return, and after assembling a new Infinity Gauntlet, Banner snaps his fingers, and revives everyone who perished in the Decimation. Sadly, the Avengers don’t get a moment’s rest because as soon as the dust settles on a reunited world, Thanos arrives in the present and bombs the Avengers compound, trapping Scott, Rocket, Rhodey, and Banner underground. Clint ends up with the Gauntlet, and manages to keep it out of the hands of Thanos’ forces. Tony, Thor, and Steve decide to kill Thanos once and for all. Even without the Gauntlet, Thanos is more than a match for the three heroes, knocks out Tony, and nearly kills Thor with Stormbreaker. Just before the axe head can pierce Thor’s chest, Mjolnir sends Thanos flying. The hammer then flies back to its wielder, none other than Steve Rogers himself. The moment that fans have been clamoring for since the dawn of the MCU finally arrives, as a Mjolnir-wielding Captain America manages to drive back Thanos, before having his vibranium shield smashed. At his lowest point, a defiant Steve stands up to face Thanos’ army alone, and in the nick of time, every hero ever featured in the MCU arrives, backed by an army of Ravagers, Wakandans, and Sorcerers. The battle concludes with Tony using the Infinity Stones to Dust Thanos’ army before obliterating the Mad Titan himself. Unfortunately, the effort fatally wounds Tony, who dies peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones.

The CGI

In a movie as expansive as Endgame, there is very little room for error when it comes to special effects. Fortunately, the CGI and effects for Endgame are nearly flawless. Apart from a few awkward shots of Thanos grimacing and one moment towards the climax where Rhodey’s head seems to float just a bit too far from his armor, the CGI is nearly indistinguishable from real life.

References and Cameos

As with any marvel movie, References and Cameos are found in excess. The cast of the TV show Community, which the directors of Endgame, Joe and Anthony Russo, worked extensively on, have been slowly having cameo roles in the MCU. For Endgame, Yvette Nicole Brown and Ken Jeong make appearances as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent and a security guard respectively. Director Joe Russo has a cameo in Steve’s support group, and Stan Lee makes his final cameo as a man in the 1970’s with a bumper sticker proudly declaring ” ‘Nuff Said!”

As far as References to the comics go, there are more than can be counted in a single viewing. Steve utters the words “Hail Hydra,” in a nod towards the recent Secret Empire event, in which Steve Rogers became a Hydra double-agent. Tony’s daughter Morgan is named after Tony’s cousin in the comics. Captain Marvel sports a new haircut in Endgame, which fans will no doubt recognize as the shorter hair Carol Danvers sports in the comics.

Where do we go from here?

Like any great conclusion, Endgame asks more questions than it answers. The most prominent question of all is no doubt “What happens now?” Apart from Spider-Man: Far From Home and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, there aren’t any movies announced for the future of the MCU. Fortunately, Endgame does leave fans with a few hints.

Spoilers: The Future

In the midst of the final battle, an all-female team of Avengers consisting of Wasp, Valkyrie, Pepper Potts, Okoye, Shuri, Carol Danvers, and more assemble to deliver the Gauntlet to Scott and the Quantum Tunnel. While this doesn’t confirm a Female-Avengers movie, Marvel definitely shows that they have a team ready to assemble if the need arises.

The Female Avengers aren’t the only new team to emerge from the ashes of the final battle. Thor realizes that he can’t keep running from his destiny, and hands the reigns of New Asgard over to Valkyrie, and decides to join the newly reformed Guardians of the Galaxy, which he renames the Asgardians of the Galaxy. The new name is actually a different team in the comics that consists of Ghost Rider, Beta-Ray Bill, a younger version of Loki, and Angela Odindaughter. The new team also might have a new mission: Gamora has disappeared. The signs point to the new Asgardians of the Galaxy hunting after Gamora in Guardians Vol. 3, and with James Gunn back at the helm, and the combined comedic talents of Chris Pratt and Chris Hemsworth, the future of the MCU seems to be in good hands.

Post-Credits

Endgame breaks the mold by being the first film ever in the MCU to not feature a post-credits teaser, and it works incredibly well for the theme of the film. Endgame isn’t meant to setup the future of the MCU, it’s meant to end this era. Even though there isn’t a teaser after the credits roll, there is something for fans who hold out till the end. When the final Marvel logo rolls, there is the faint sound of a hammer banging on metal. The same hammer that Tony Stark used to build the Mark 1 suit over a decade ago. The same hammer that began this universe closes out what could be its final chapter.

Final Verdict

Endgame is a film unlike anything that has ever come before it. No movie in history has been built up like Endgame, and it is likely that no movie ever will be again. Endgame does everything a comic book movie does, and does not hold back. There are cameos, references, and fanservice throughout the movie, and not once does it feel forced or gratuitous. Endgame manages to be both a celebration of the MCU, and a farewell to it. If this is how the MCU ends, there isn’t a soul who can be disappointed with it.