Avengers: Endgame. The conclusion to an era

Only for a handful of times in our lives we’ll be in the presence of a cultural event of resounding importance. In 28 years, I have already witnessed a few milestones of film history. When it comes to massive attendance to experience a film, I can think of titles like Titanic, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Harry Potter series, and, of course, the long-awaited return of the Star Wars franchise -which I’ve experienced twice: first with Lucas’ Prequel trilogy, and more recently with the Disney-Lucasfilm era.

Avengers: Endgame joins that list triumphantly. As the emotional cap off to more than 20 movies and 10+ years of content, it’s a transcendent cultural affair that, quite honestly, will probably be impossible to replicate.

Simply put, Endgame is colossal. So many emotions, moments, characters, twists, jokes, and effects are part of it, that it simply shouldn’t work. But far from becoming an uneven pastiche, one way or another, Endgame delivers. But how?

Keep in mind: I’m delving into spoilers from now on. You’ve been warned.

The film gives us all the first surprise -of many- by quickly subverting the expectations planted by the marketing campaign. Unlike what all the teasers and trailers made us believe, the mission here is not ending Thanos himself. In fact, the first part of the movie solves that easily, as the heroes find and get rid of the villain swiftly.

Yet, the task is not purely vengeance -in fact, the latter leads them to nowhere-, but finding a way to get back those who were lost after the snap. And thus the first brick of the emotional bedrock of the plot is laid.

Indeed, the 2nd act of the movie focuses solely on the heroes’ despair. It’s gloomy, painful, and stripped down of all spectacle. Instead of rushing towards the possible solution and massive battle that will come with it, the movie slows down, halts, and takes a moment to mourn and feel with the characters. It’s a bold and necessary choice that gives the film the momentum that will pay off later on.

Even when the plan is finally set and put into motion during the 3rd act, the script goes back to little emotional snippets, windows to the soul of the heroes, and takes its time with them. It understands its resonance. We’re traveling back with these characters, and as we do, the echoes of the experiences they’ve been through and the burdening knowledge of what will happen, reverberate across the multiple timelines and places.

This is particularly poignant when it comes to Thor, whom until the very last moment of his assignment with Rocket has been unable to move past the Depression stage of grief. Throughout the MCU, the Marvel writers took great care with his character, stripping him layer by layer from the load and limitations that his status as a God would suppose. By Endgame, we’re dealing with just another fully flawed and deeply scarred being, like us. We know his journey and what it does to him, and seeing him go back to a more joyful moment of his past and have a brief encounter that can fuel the fire in him again is touching and exciting. The writers didn’t need to do that, but they did.

In fact, the writers could have skipped the entire character buildup and deliver just the 4th and 5th acts of the film. The crowds would have still attended massively. However, the fact remains that Marvel’s grasp of the importance of character and emotion is one of its strengths, differentiating them from other clumsier attempts at cinematic world-building.

And Endgame not only propels our Asgardian God’s story to a new level but carefully takes care of core members Tony, Natasha, and Steve during the last two acts of the movie.

The first part of the plan goes astray as soon as the heroes begin facing several obstacles -including their past selves- while trying to recover the Infinity stones. And the failure is crowned by the first real casualty: Natasha’s sacrifice.

It’s certainly poetic that it ends up being Black Widow who has to give up her soul to retrieve the stone in Vormir. Not only is she the first female member to officially be part of the Avengers, but since the first team-up movie where she pulled Dr. Banner to join the team, we had the grounding for Natasha as the emotional heart that connects all the heroes when they go astray.

Natasha, who carries her own baggage of guilt and sins, has had one of the most fulfilling arcs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. From a simply good-looking assassin and spy when she was first introduced, to becoming the most level-headed member of the core group, her ultimate sacrifice in the process of trying to save the family she has struggled to keep together and protect during 10+ years is heartbreaking yet rewarding.

Tony Stark’s journey also comes to an end with the most honorable farewell he could have received.

Iron Man officially kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the title character taking center stage as the brain behind the Avengers initiative. But it didn’t come without a cost. Throughout the series of films we’ve seen Tony struggle with the idea of adapting to a normal life, usually represented through his ups-and-downs with Pepper.

Tony’s obsession with protecting Earth, particularly after the events of The Avengers and cemented after his vision in Age of Ultron, is a cross he has had to carry alone. The failure to prevent it should -and initially has- crush him.

Yet, in Endgame, we find him having enjoyed five years of normalcy at last, after settling down with Pepper and becoming a father. It’s a soothing balm for what’s to come next, as it only takes a glimpse of a solution for him to take action, figuring out the riddle in record time -literally!- and, as expected of him, throwing himself body and soul to the completion of the team’s objective.

Tony has never been capable of sitting back, and Pepper’s final words to Tony, assuring him that now he can rest, are even more touching due to that. She was fully aware that what Tony needed the most was to see his family and friends safe and thriving, and by sacrificing himself he had achieved just that.

And rest, as the ultimate and most precious of endings for a hero, is also what Marvel chooses to give Steve in his final act. Veering away from all predictions, Cap doesn’t perish but decides to end his fight by laying down his weapons and finally going back to the love of his life.

It’s a wonderful ending that also goes perfectly with his character. After all, Steve never wanted to be a hero of Greek proportions, dreaming with an honorable death on the battlefield. What he wanted the most was to do the right thing. It was his ultimate goal, and one he carried out bravely and honestly.

Thus, Marvel says farewell to its heart, its hectic genius, and its unwavering soldier, by giving them exactly what they had been looking for throughout the 20+ movies of this first stage of the MCU.

It’s some of the most gratifying fan service ever executed in a Marvel film, which, as expected, is full of little nudges, callbacks, and winks to the characters’ history both inside the cinematic universe and the original comics. In fact, part of the plot consists of revising that history, however briefly.

And after taking the time to look back and tie loose ends, the final battle is certainly a spectacle to behold. Not only does it provide some of the most memorable moments of the cinematic universe so far -Steve wielding Mjolnir, the Marvel ladies joining forces to protect one of their own-, it’s a high-stakes sequence filled to the brim with tension, excitement, and yes, heart.

But then, it ends with almost crushing silence and one of the most heartbreaking goodbyes as we part with Tony Stark in a triumphant yet devastating ending to one of the greatest characters of the MCU. A grand finale that also feels like the conclusion to an era.

As of now, it’s difficult to even imagine how Marvel will manage to top what they have built during these 10+ years, or how they’ll surpass what feels like the most important blockbuster event of recent years.

Endgame is such an astonishing feat of writing, acting, and visual artistry, that it seems truly untouchable. Anything else coming out in the next days will probably pale in comparison, and despite being a big-studio film, it’s undeniable that it has deservedly earned its place as one of the most relevant cultural achievements of film history.

To some, there might be something to say about its ability to stand on its own if it simultaneously depends on 20+ films and a companion piece -Infinity War. It might be an interesting and fair debate, but not one I’m particularly interested in.

Yes, Endgame is connected to several other movies. Yes, you should see Infinity War and most of those films to truly appreciate it. Yes, regularly a film should be able to stand on its own even if it’s part of a larger university. Yes, to some extent Endgame could achieve that, but on certain aspects, it certainly won’t.

And that doesn’t make it any less worthy of attention or praise. It has attained something truly unique, and it’s up to us as an audience to invest the time and interest in appreciating, or not.

Others might complain that besides the main four, and perhaps Hawkeye and Nebula as the other two standouts, not every character receives the same level of attention. But, honestly, how could they? And, fortunately, each one of them gets a moment to truly shine.

Petty nitpicking will certainly abound in the discourse surrounding this film, yet I hope the majority will be able to see the effort and craft behind it.

For now, Endgame has closed an immense cycle in the most astonishingly successful -and sometimes even risky- way possible. And just like the subtle echo of Tony crafting his Iron-Man suit, which rings during the last seconds of the credits, we now depart from this adventure with a sense of resolution, commemoration, and the promise of a new journey about to begin.