'Avengers: Endgame' Is The Perfect Send-Off For Our Favorite Superheroes!

Where to begin with the most ambitious crossover event in history? With a cast of almost every superhero we’ve ever seen in the Marvel universe, Avengers: Endgame’s running time of just over 3 hours is well justified and, dare I say, almost a perfect use of every minute. I believe I’ve given you all enough time to see the movie, so if you’re reading this, none of what I’m about to say should come as a surprise. If you’re here and still haven’t seen Endgame, you are greatly missing out.

Without further ado, let’s get into it...

Almost exactly a year ago, after successfully retrieving all 6 infinity stones, Thanos made a snap of his fingers that was heard around the world, and half of everyone in our Marvel universe turned to dust. It was traumatic to say the least, but we knew the surviving heroes wouldn’t accept this fate. Well, welcome to Endgame. The remaining Avengers, who conveniently happen to be our original six -- Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) -- along with a few new recruits, most notably Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), hatch a plan to take Thanos (Josh Brolin) down. And they do. After finding a newly ~zen~ version of the giant purple tyrant, who just wants to garden and watch the sunrise in peace, Thor, not willing to make the same mistake twice, swings for his head and makes it count. But nothing is quite as easy as it looks. Turns out the Stones aren’t so infinite after all and Thanos had already destroyed them. Our heroes are back to square one.

This time, the Avengers don’t take to defeat so well, and 5 years pass in a world that has no idea how to pick up the pieces of everything they’ve lost. Cap is running a grief support group, Tony is MIA, Hawkeye is apparently off being a brutal assassin, Bruce Banner has merged with the Hulk and is permanently green but also has a nice personality, Nat is trying to keep the group together, and Thor has turned into the Big Lebowski. Things are not looking good... until a rat accidentally steps on a button transporting Ant-Man back from the quantum realm and brings back a bit of hope to the squad.

I won’t rehash every moment of this movie; it would take me days to unpack everything we saw in those 180 minutes, but here are the quick hits:

- Tony is living in the woods with his daughter (!!!!) and Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) and is not into Avenging anymore.

- Nat tracks down Hawkeye and everyone pretty much just overlooks the fact that he’s been mercilessly killing these last few years.

- Hulk is a celebrity who knows how to take a selfie.

- Nebula (Karen Gillan) is the worst person to do a group project with, very little contribution.

- Carol Danvers got a tragic haircut and is out helping the universe.

- Thor is drunk and out of shape (to put it kindly).

- Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) thinks he’s discovered time travel in the quantum realm and could save the world.

Thus, a new plan is born, and Tony Stark returns to solve time travel and save the day. The crew, decked out in new Avengers suits, finds a way to return to the points in time in which the Infinity Stones were present and get them back once and for all. Now, things get even more complicated. Going back in time also means Thanos himself is still alive and on a mission to decimate half the universe. The good guys only get one shot at this, so with three groups going to three different places, the solemn sense that this won’t end well for everyone sets in. I think we all know there are going to be some tough goodbyes to come.

Getting all of the Stones took sacrifices I still haven’t come to terms with (Black Widow, you deserved better, girl) but in a moment of triumph, we do get everyone back that we had lost. Unfortunately, with the stakes set this high, it was never going to end there. With Thanos and his intergalactic army still standing in the Avengers’ way, Tony had to take his final stand and save the world that he started. After 11 years and 22 movies, Iron Man snapped his fingers and said goodbye.

Still, there was more. As everyone picked up the pieces and joined together for Tony’s funeral, our first Avenger, Steve Rogers, still had one last task. Stepping back in time to return the Stones to their rightful places, Steve finally got to live out the life he had always wanted, with his first love, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). Steve returns to the present day many years older, finally content with the life he had lived and ready to pass on his shield to the world’s next Cap – Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie).

So, Avengers: Endgame has ended the storylines of many of our original Avengers. It is a heavy loss to come to terms with when you take in the unbelievable stretch of cinematic history these characters have held. But it is certainly not the end of the Marvel world, for all the stories that have come to a close, there are just as many seeds planted for the next generation of Marvel superheroes to follow.

To Tony, Nat, and Steve, we thank you for your service. To everyone behind Avengers: Endgame, job well done.