Caution: Spoilers ahead.
It’s here.
“Avengers: Endgame” is more than another Marvel movie. The hype for this release places it somewhere on the scale between a religious experience and a national holiday.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has risen above being mere action movies with sequels.
It has become the theatrical version of a TV series — with new episodes dropped each year, going all the way back to 2008. As such, they have created a depth not seen before at your local multiplex.
I was thinking back to when I first saw “Iron Man” in 2008. I went with my mom and dad to see it. We were always people who stayed through the end credits. By doing so at that showing of “Iron Man,” we were treated to the first post-credit “easter egg” in the MCU — a surprise clip that would foreshadow things to come.
Eleven years have transpired. So many things have changed in my life since the nascent days of the MCU. I can’t even imagine how “Avengers: Endgame” is viewed by teens and early twentysomethings who grew up with these movies.
Marvel Studios honcho Kevin Feige manages to wrap the whole thing up in a 3-hour present to fandom.
“Avengers: Endgame” is an incredibly enjoyable trip down memory lane.
The concept of time is relative in franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In “Endgame,” the film’s creators take viewers on a “timey-wimey” journey through the last 11 years of Marvel movies.
If you’re seeing “Avengers: Endgame” you likely also saw 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War.” So you know the basics already. A genocidal purple giant named Thanos collected all six Infinity Stones (for the Infinity Gauntlet) which caused half of all life in the universe to disintegrate and turn to dust — including many favorite heroes in the MCU.
None of us thought they were really gone.
The remaining Avengers actually take out Thanos very early in the film (he is living alone in the wilderness on a distant planet). It’s Thor (Chris Hemsworth) who does the deed. Thanos destroyed the Infinity Stones after the events in “Avengers: Infinity War.”
There is no easy solution for our heroes to make things right. As a result, five years transpire and earth is still in the midst of a general malaise.
But remember, this is the Marvel Universe, where you have kick-ass scientists like Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) at your disposal. Before long, our crew has come up with a convoluted plan to go back in time — aided by Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who has a rat to thank for his return from the quantum realm (where he was trapped at the end of “Ant-Man and the Wasp”).
Everything kind of evolves into the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of “Back to the Future Part II.” Our heroes split up and go back in time to try and find the Infinity Stones, visit key moments in previous Marvel movies, and try to avoid their former selves in the process.
It’s not high art — nor is it the most original concept in the world — but it is a lot fun.
It is also incredibly sentimental — with less focus on action this time out.
I have to admit it: I got misty eyed at several points during “Avengers: Endgame.”
There’s little doubt Feige & Co. were milking the poignant moments so the payoff at the end would be worth the wait (a particular sequence where Tony Stark interacts with his father was particularly self-indulgent).
But it works. It always works in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Avengers: Endgame” is a fitting culmination to everything we’ve seen the past 11 years (which is being referred to as the “Infinity Saga.”)
I’ll be interested to see where things go from here. The question is whether they’ll attempt to build another “multi-threaded-multi-movie” story as ambitious as the “Infinity Saga” again — or if they should try and attempt it a second time.
Things will be different. Some old favorites might not be seen again (at least not in the form we’ve been accustomed to since 2008). But that’s alright as far as I am concerned.
It’s very possible the MCU will be focused on smaller stories that last a few films instead of 20+ movies. Then again, maybe not.
Regardless of the direction Marvel movies go, we’re not likely to experience something quite this special again.
Marvel Studios (along with parent company Disney) has changed the way we watch movies. We’ve all been able to experience cinematic history.
So enjoy it. Enjoy every minute of it.
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