SPOILERS AHEAD
Okay, it’s been three days since I saw Avengers: Endgame—that’s enough time to process everything that’s happened, right? Nope, I’m still reeling from it.
Here’s the thing: Before Infinity War even premiered, fans already knew that several heroes would bite the dust (literally) because of what happened in the comics. Despite that, no one was ready. It’s the same with Endgame, which is a movie about the most crucial battle between the remaining Avengers and Thanos. Marvel’s promotional materials for the movie included the phrases “Whatever it takes” and “Avenge the fallen”—enough to make you feel like more heroes will sacrifice their lives for the cause.
Lo and behold, the movie did not disappoint in the suspense and dead people department. It was bittersweet as hell, but that’s not the only thing we’re going to talk about today. We’re here to give our thoughts on some of the most badass moments in Endgame, including the death of some of the characters. Let’s do it.
Captain Marvel’s appearance
The mid-credit scene of Captain Marvel already placed Carol Danvers in the Avengers’ HQ after she received Nick Fury’s pager signal. Although she wasn’t part of the film for the most part (still hopeful that she’ll play bigger roles in Phase 4), Carol was there for the important parts—like saving Tony Stark from space and destroying Thanos’ ship.
Also, her new haircut looked so good. Expect people to get the same Captain Marvel pixie cut in the next month.
The Thanos hunt
Good to know that Thanos found a retirement kubo where he cooks cacti for nutrition. The hunt for the Infinity Stones may be in vain, but you have to admit that you wanted to cheer for the Avengers while reining in defenseless Thanos.
The rat who saved the universe
Remember when we said that Ant-Man was getting out of the Quantum Realm either by himself or with the help of Captain Marvel? Scratch all of that. A rat actually got him out by stepping on the controls on the van—A RAT. If not for it, Ant-Man wouldn’t be here to share his knowledge of the Quantum Realm to create the time machine.
Time heist!
They really time traveled! There are so many things I want to talk about during this sequence, but overall, it was great to see the Avengers in past scenes and interacting with characters like Lady Sif and Howard Stark. (The parent-child moments were so heartwarming.)
Black Widow vs Ronin/Hawkeye for the Soul Stone
Contrary to previous theories where Captain America and Iron Man would be getting the Soul Stone, the MCU placed Black Widow and Ronin (formerly known as Hawkeye). If you think about it, their connection makes more sense because they worked together and are already good friends pre-Avengers. And we all know that you need to sacrifice the one you love in order to obtain the Soul Stone. (RIP, Gamora)
What’s also interesting during this scene is seeing how both of them were willing to die on Vormir to accomplish the mission. At the end, Black Widow fell to the bottom so Ronin can go back home to his family once they reverse the Snappening.
Many are saying that Endgame failed Black Widow by killing her off like this. But if you remember in Avengers, she always wanted to wipe off the red on her ledger. The Vormir mission was her chance to redeem herself, and she did.
Captain America with Mjolnir!!!!
All I can say about this is: HE IS WORTHY!
The massive comeback
I love battle scenes where you slowly feel hopeless, and then someone comes in with reinforcements. One great example is Aragorn arriving with an undead army at the Battle of Helm’s Deep in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Now take that scene and amp it up 1,000 times—that was Endgame‘s final battle scene. Everyone in our cinema was freaking out from the time Falcon radioed in, to seeing armies upon armies appear in Doctor Strange’s magic circles. It was insane.
Future is female
The Russos weren’t lying when they said this. During the battle scene, all the women got together to protect Spider-Man and get Thanos away from the gauntlet. Scarlet Witch, specifically, was a lady with a vengeance. She could’ve killed Thanos if she wanted to.
Also, at that moment, we realized just how many female heroes the MCU has aside from Captain Marvel and Black Widow. Man, we wish they all got solo movies.
Good-bye and thank you, Tony Stark
Iron Man passing away is the saddest moment in the MCU. He was the superhero who kicked off this franchise in 2008. Even then, he’s always been a “greater good over one person” type of guy, which ruffled a lot of feathers in Captain America: Civil War. But it’s a reasonable mindset considering that he faced terrorists who wanted to use weapons of mass destruction, as well as Chitauris almost destroying New York.
In Endgame, Strange ultimately gave him the signal. Out of the 14 million possibilities, the only way to win was for Tony to get the stones and snap his fingers. This means that his body might not be able to take the influx of power surging through him, and he could die. But he took the chance anyway and he snapped his fingers (and saying “I am… Iron Man”) to turn Thanos and his gang into dust, saving the universe in the process.
What got everyone after this scene was Pepper Potts telling him that she and their daughter will be okay, and assuring him he “can rest now.” BRB, sobbing.
Captain America’s fate
Steve Rogers is now also on the verge of death as he “corrected” his age. The movie ended with him going back in time and returning as an old man who married Peggy Carter—giving the assumption that he lived in another timeline as a regular man, not Captain America. (I personally still need to read up on what really happened here because a lot of people are pointing out inconsistencies in time travel.)
What now? Since we’re entering Phase 4, we still have a Captain America. Steve passed the torch to his good friend, Falcon, which also happens in the comics. Now we really can’t wait to see what’s in store in the next MCU era.
Art by Tricia Guevara
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