Avengers: Endgame proves that superhero movies have evolved beyond muscles and tights. More than having a proper story, this movie invites its long-time fans to witness decade-long story arches come to a full circle.
This post contains major spoilers and my personal opinion. Reader discretion is advised.
By now, Avengers: Endgame has made more than $2 billion worldwide and the no-spoiler ban by its makers had been lifted, so I guess it’s safe to say that the guy on the banner is dead. Yea, fellas, I’m pretty sad because Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey, Jr., is dead!
Summarising this movie on itself is relatively simple but trying to make someone unfamiliar with Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) understand the importance of each detail or the depth of each decision showed in this movie is certainly not an easy feat.
So I won’t get to that.
Avengers: Endgame is the last of the two-part movie about a group of heroes trying — and succeeding — to save mankind from Thanos (Josh Brolin), the almighty being who wanted to wipe off half of the world’s population in a twisted attempt to regain balance in the universe.
The movie is still playing in Jakarta at the time I’m publishing this post so if you haven’t watched it, I say you should give it a try, especially if you have watched the Avengers: Infinity War.
In the previous movie, Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos managed to collect the so-called Infinity Stones and used it to erase billions of people in one go which— according to Mikey from Filmjoy — a pretty stupid decision because the math just doesn’t add up. Erasing half of the world’s population just set the world back to the 1970s, meaning it will soon be overpopulated again.
Endgame begins right where the Avengers: Infinity War left off, it happened immediately after the war in Wakanda and the battle in Saturn’s moon Titan. Many members of the Avengers, including Spiderman (Tom Holland), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), turned into dust.
“Mr Stark, I don’t feel so good […] I don’t know what’s happening, I don’t wanna go, I don’t wanna go. I’m sorry,” said Peter Parker, the Spiderman, to Tony Stark in Avengers: Infinity War.
Only the original Avengers like the Iron Man, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) — plus names such as Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Nebula (Karen Gillan) — left to defend the Earth. This band of misfits managed to locate Thanos but found out that the stones had been destroyed and they should move on with their lives because there is nothing they can do.
Or is it?
And then we jump into five years later when all hope seemed lost but, oh hey, we forgot Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), the Ant-Man! Lang, fresh from his own Ant-Man and Wasp movie, trapped in the quantum realm. Under a miraculous chance, a rat switched on the quantum realm gateway and brought him back to the land of the living. Lang became the one with the key, or at least the idea, of time travelling.
Ant-Man series have been fun even if I’m not really rooting for this character. However, I like how Anthony and Joe Russo, the directors, connecting MCU movies together and appreciate all characters however small the role they played.
That brings us to three things I want to talk about in this movie: the fallen heroes, the time travel, and the curious case of my least favourite character turned my fave: Thor.
The fallen heroes
In this movie, two beloved Marvel characters are set to meet their final fate: Tony Stark, the Iron Man, and Agent Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. While fans had to bid adieu to the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, rumour has it that we can still catch a glimpse on Agent Romanoff as she will have her own movie in 2020.
For me, personally, saying goodbye to Tony Stark was easier compared to Agent Romanoff. Back in 2008, I was introduced to the ever-expanding Marvel universe by Iron Man. I observed every bit of detail the movie offered. I’m amazed by the technology Tony brought to the screen; I appreciate Jarvis’ wits and even amused by the idea of having a superhero movie for adults. In that movie — and all movies that came after — I saw Tony lived his life to the fullest while there was a big gap in the Black Widow’s narration for me.
From Avengers: Age of Ultron, we know that Natasha was a Russian agent. She was moulded, trained, and groomed to be the best agent she could be at the cost of her life. Throughout her appearances in the MCU, Natasha has almost always been flat and boring, at least for me. However, we now witness that her character is more than meets the eye.
“For the last five years I’ve been trying to do one thing, get to right here. That’s all it’s been about. Bringing everybody back,” Natasha Romanoff told Clint Barton just seconds before her demise in Avengers: Endgame.
In Avengers: Endgame, Natasha showed a different side of her. I learned that the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D have become her family. She would trade everything — including her life — to get that warmth back.
This version is somewhat an expansion of what she showed on the Avengers: Age of Ultron, where we saw her be the only one who close to Hawkeye’s family. Natasha’s story and personality were miles away from her debut in Iron Man’s first MCU movie in 2008 at this point.
Natasha’s funeral, unlike Tony’s, was private and simple, almost casual. Even if it looked lonely and sad, I think Natasha will appreciate being remembered by her closest “family” in an intimate ceremony.
In this movie, Tony Stark died sacrificing himself by fatal radiation after snapping his fingers wearing a high-tech glove with infinity stones while previously Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, sacrificed herself by jumping off a cliff in Vormir so the team could get soul stone, part of the infinity stones.
The time travel
Our heroes initially planned to use the Infinity Stones to fix everything but the plan failed when they found out that Thanos had destroyed the stones which almost took a toll on himself. Instead, thanks to Scott Lang, the heroes came up with time travelling strategy.
Time travelling in this movie is a bit wibbily wobbly timey wimey. The heroes can’t change the past because if it changed, it would create another branch of dimension and they won’t experience it anyway. So, they plan to “borrow” the stones from the past and return it again to that point in time when they’re done to keep the timeline intact.
“The Infinity stones create what you experience as the flow of time. Remove one stone and that flow splits. Now, this may benefit your reality but my new one, not so much. In this new branched reality, without our chief weapon against the forces of darkness, our world will be overrun. Millions will suffer. So, tell me Doctor, can your science prevent all that?” The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), asked Bruce Banner in Avengers: Endgame.
Despite all that conversation, Captain America managed to go back in time and spend more time with Agent Carter in the past. He supposed to return the stones to its original time and place. Presumably, he just stayed in the past and spend time slowly. He did not use the time-travelling device to go back to the future. I like Captain and I adore Agent Carter yet somehow I did not feel Captain’s decision sit well with the time-travelling concept in this movie.
Or, maybe Captain is the husband Agent Carter never mentioned about. Sigh.
The curious case of Thor
The mighty God of Thunder had made it clear in his first movie that Asgardians may have a stronger build and longer lifespan compared to puny humans on Earth but Asgardians apparently are not prone to psychological pressures and impossible standards.
“Look, sitting there staring at that going is not going to bring everybody back. I’m the strongest avenger, okay, so this responsibility falls upon me. It’s my duty,” Thor said.
Thor has indeed become fat, a drunk, busy with video games, and couldn’t care less about his appearance. But I kinda understand where did these come from.
“The future hasn’t been kind to you, has it?” said Thor’s mother, Frigga.
Thor, previously the heir of Asgard, think of himself as a God among humans. He understands the package: great power comes with great responsibility. He considered himself as the protector of Asgardians and also the humans.
But his effort went to waste. He managed to kill Thanos out of anger but realise it won’t change anything.
The God of Thunder had a major breakdown because he failed to save the day. Yes, it’s uncomfortable at hindsight to see a representative of depression on the big screen becomes a comic relief yet it is important for us to pick that detail up and to understand Thor’s story.
I’ve seen Thor 1, Thor 2, loved Thor 3, and from those three I’ve learned that Thor has grown from a prince to a warrior to a saviour. Once he was so attached with his Mjolnir (myeuh-myeuh!) and then he realised that the real power is within himself.
Thor’s story arch is tragic but wonderful. First, he broke up with Jane Foster, lost his hammer, lost his mother, father, brother, sister, even his home and his people.
Using the time-travelling plot in the Avengers: Endgame movie, we really witnessed his story came to a full circle. He gets to meet his mother again and borrow his Mjolnir.
That sneaky little moment when Thor gets to meet his mother right before her death is not only touching but important. Thor regains his confidence, his focus, and his purpose. He even managed to call his Mjolnir, proving to himself that he was indeed still worthy.
This movie is arguably easy to explain: a bunch of heroes trying to make right the situation by going back to past, collecting magic stones to bring back people who were erased from existence by Thanos using such stones. But it went way deeper.
I’d like to see this movie as a necessary sacrifice for the MCU continuation. Yes, it killed a couple of its characters, but it also became an ode for them.
For those who’ve been following the MCU since its beginning in 2008, we know that it was not easy for Tony Stark — and Thor, and other heroes in this saga — to think of others yet in about 11 years, we’ve seen how Stark began his humble journey as Iron Man in captivity and then he learned about the legacy of his father and went on to save humankind.
I still remember admiring the very first MCU film “Iron Man” with a grain of salt. The formula of a billionaire-turned-hero was obviously not new and at the time I did not know how Marvel would spin the story of this genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist away from the cliche.
Little did I know, the people behind MCU have so many tricks up their sleeves. I realised that making Tony Stark relatable is peanuts for them who could make a good story arch about a god of thunder who bleeds.
By now, everyone I knew who would watch Avengers: Endgame has seen the movie twice and made some kind of review. Some loved the movie and some others really loved it.
All in all, the Avengers: Endgame, the 22nd film in the MCU, is a worth-watching entertainment. A sequel to its predecessor, the 2012’s The Avengers, 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, and 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, these movies may be fun to binge sometimes in not so distant future.
