As the last of the credits roll, the theater sits in complete awe, speechless. The audience waits until the last possible moment before the lights go on, for every Marvel fan knows that there is a secret ending. When it is finally over, a collective silence follows as the end of an era concludes.
After 10 years and 21 movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has built up to this moment. “Avengers: Endgame,” directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and the finale in the “Avengers” franchise, released Apr. 26 and has grossed nearly $2 billion worldwide. In its opening weekend alone, the film brought in $1.2 billion, shattering numerous box office records. As of May 4, it is the highest-grossing film of 2019 and the fifth-highest grossing film of all time with an approval rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. There’s no doubt it’ll only continue to climb in revenues, possibly beating out the second through fourth highest-grossing movies of all time.
Clocking in at just over three hours, “Endgame” is Marvel’s longest movie to date. The film begins immediately after the events of its 2018 predecessor, “Avengers: Infinity War.” The remaining Avengers – Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow – along with new additions such as Captain Marvel and Ant-Man, all attempt to undo the Mad Titan Thanos’ snap, which eliminated 50 percent of life across the universe.
As soon as “Infinity War” had been out for a couple weeks, tons of fan theories began circulating the Internet concerning how Earth’s mightiest heroes would bring everyone back with the most common theory – and the correct one – being time travel. Indeed, most of “Endgame” takes place five years after “Infinity War” and focuses on the Avengers going back in time using the quantum realm to retrieve the six Infinity Stones before Thanos ever gets them.
Much like its precursor, “Endgame” is nothing short of a bittersweet mix of both humor and action. Although the first hour dragged for a little bit as each Avenger was sought out from their grief and recruited to pull off the time heist, the film quickly picks up pace in the second hour as our heroes revisit their pasts.
For fans who have been with Marvel since the beginning, the nostalgia definitely sets in as the intertwining events and characters from past Marvel movies come together in an epic combination of emotion and action.
As fans witnessed in “Infinity War,” the Russo brothers aren’t shy about killing off a vast amount of important characters, and the tragedy doesn’t stop in “Endgame” either. In the final battle, in which every MCU character joins in, we say goodbye to perhaps the most loved Avenger of them all, the one who pioneered the MCU nearly 11 years ago.
And the scene is truly heartbreaking.
“Endgame” flawlessly accomplishes its timeless task – to wrap up the stories and epic struggles of our Marvel heroes. Although it’s not your typical happy ending, it truly is a fitting ending for Marvel’s monumental Infinity Saga. The film ties up loose ends and relationships, reminds fans of every victory and every loss and celebrates an experience that is unparalleled by any other in cinematic history.
Not that Marvel is finished, of course – the next installment in the MCU and the sequel to 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” set to hit theaters July 2.
