The last 11 years has been leading up to this. Twenty-one
movies lead us to Avengers: End Game, which wraps up what Kevin Feige calls, “THE
INFINITY SAGA.” It is closure for the original six Avengers.
It truly is a culmination of the last twenty-one films.
Over the last 11 years Marvel has introduced us to characters
that many of us grew up with in the comics. We literally saw the pages of the
comics come to life on the big screen. We’ve spent the last 11 years getting to
know our favorite heroes even better. Following their journey, feeling their
pain right along with them, crying with them, celebrating victories with them
and feeling a sense of pride…because after all Marvel fans are the best fans in
the world.
Avengers: End Game is an emotional roller coaster of joy,
pain, laughter and victory.
With Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has
just concluded its Infinity Saga, a 22-movie-long epic spanning 11 years that
is one of the most impressive cinematic achievements of the modern movie era. It
is a satisfying end, to some, while on the other hand, it is very heartbreaking
to see our heroes that we have fallen in love with over the last 11 years make
this film their final bow.
I am very surprised
more people aren't giving the masterminds behind the MCU more credit. This film
is basically all of the previous films rolled into one giant love letter to the
fans. To talk about this film, you have to talk about the past films. This
universe would not have been possible if Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of Iron
Man and Tony Stark would not have worked. He IS the grandfather of the MCU.
One of the most talked about and Oscar deserving scenes in
the movie is when Tony is reunited with Steve Rogers. The chemistry that all of
the actors have together is just incredible.
Going into this film, you have to expect the unexpected. I
was on the edge of my seat for most of the film. You watch with anticipation
and you get what you think and then some and then not.
With so many of the characters from Infinity War gone, you
wonder how the dusted ones come back, and you spend most of the film wondering
when are they coming back and how? But the way it all plays out, is so telling
and well put together. The storyline pulls you in. The visual effects are
amazing and all of the CGI is phenomenal.
There are moments that make you think back to previous films.
There are moments that take you back to previous films. The time travel scenes
are so well done and so well thought out, and at the same time, make you think
that there could be more to those somewhere down the line. Our heroes had to go
back in time to get the Infinity Stones to stop Thanos from getting them. One
scene in particular including Loki was a good example. When Tony, Steve, Bruce and
Scott travel to 2012 to the battle of New York, we see scenes from the first
Avengers movie and some scenes that bring in some familiar faces. Which add to
the whole MCU timeline continuity. Loki, gets the Tesseract at one point and
vanishes. This is before Thor takes him to that final scene in the Avengers
where they head back to Asgard. You’re sitting there saying, “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?”
In the end it all works out…or does it….? If you’ve seen the film you know the
answer.
One other scene stands out to me as a comic fan, the final
battle scene. That whole sequence is so comic book. It’s great! I mean I literally
sat there and watched the comics come to life. It was amazing. Every character
used, every little thing in the movie was crucial to what happened. I can’t
imagine it being done any different. From the travel back to Camp Lehigh, to stealing
the Orb on Morag before Star Lord gets it, to seeing Thor get to see his mother
one more time, and then she discovers he is from the future. To describe the
whole film scene by scene or favorite scene, we would be here all day.
In the months leading up to End Game, everyone speculated on
who would be the one to reverse the snap. Who would be the hero of the movie?
Who would have to die to save the world? The answer to both of those questions
is Hulk and Tony Stark. Hulk wields the newly designed gauntlet with the stones
taken from the past. He snaps and reverses what Thanos did. To win the whole
battle at the end and save humanity, Tony Stark gets the stones from Thanos again
and wields a very Iron Man-ish gauntlet, snaps and dusted all of Thanos’s army
and Thanos himself. Therefore, leaving our favorite Genius, Billionaire, Playboy,
Philanthropist grasping for life. It is one of the moments in the film that you
hear an entire theater of fans sobbing and crying. This is the person that
started it all and now we are seeing our favorite hero at the end of the road.
It was a very sad moment and one that still gets me to even think about. Tony
saves it all. His final act of his final movie. His phrase he coined with his
own children, that was used in the movie…I LOVE YOU 3000, will be one that Marvel
fans will use forever.
Avengers: End Game will go down in history as one of the best
movies of all time. It brings 11 years’ worth of films to a close. The MCU is
far from done, but the Infinity Saga will be one that the Marvel fans will
cherish forever. You will watch all of the movies leading up to this with such reverence
and new feelings. As I write this, I’m even tearing up thinking about the future
of the MCU. We move on without Iron Man/Tony Stark. We move on without the butt
kicking Natasha Romanoff. We now have to live in a universe without Steve
Rogers as Captain America. Notice I said, Steve Rogers as Captain America. We
saw at the end, Steve passing on the shield. The MCU definitely won’t be the
same without them. But Marvel has never steered us wrong and has satisfied fans
for 11 years. I have a feeling the next 11 years will be just as epic as the
last 11 years. Who knows where the next phase of movies will take us, but rest
assured the INFINITY SAGA will go down as one of the best 11 years of this
Marvel fans life.
