Photo: Marvel Studios
We’re out of the Endgame now. We made it, more or less intact. Some of us lost our favorite heroes, either to death or time.
What Marvel Studios has managed to do cannot be overstated. The 10-year-long epic story introduced casual fans to new heroes, reminded longtime fans of obscure characters, and redefined what a comic book movie could be.
From beginning to ‘Endgame’: Go Full Circle With One-Sentence Summations of Every MCU Movie
With 22 movies spanning real-life years and fictional decades, the MCU has made about a gazillion dollars, and it’s earned every single one of them. Avengers: Endgame was a feather in the cap of what was already a monumental success. There are too many incredible moments from this film to count, but we’re going to try. Obviously, spoilers follow, so if you haven’t seen Avengers: Endgame, stop reading now…but be sure to come back after the film!
Marvel us: The Top 21 Marvel Movie Moments From Each MCU Film
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Endgame Moments
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Thor Makes Us Feel Better About Ourselves
If you’re like us, your girlfriend has probably continued to marvel (heh) at Thor and his hammer throughout the years. She’s reminded you, time and time again, that she would leave you in a heartbeat if Thor (or the man that plays him) asked her to, but that it’s okay because “he’s a celebrity.”
Well guess what, Bridget? We’ve finally got the body of Thor and we didn’t have to do a single pushup to get it.
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Thanos Loses His Head
Raise your hand if you thought Thanos (the mad titan, the ultimate antagonist, the lover of death) would be defeated within the first 15 minutes of the freakin’ film! That’s exactly what happened, though. The remaining Avengers tracked Thanos down and finally defeated him and captured the Infinity Gauntlet. Audience members gave a collective “huh?”
Fortunately (or not, depending on your perspective), an earlier, meaner, more in-shape Thanos would fill the gauntlet of his predecessor for the remainder of the film.
Still, when the "Big Bad" of the entire saga is killed in the first reel, you know you’re in for a hell of a ride.
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Loki is Mischievous, Even in Death
What with all the sacrifices and sob-inducing moments, it would be easy to forget about Loki’s role in the film. Though seemingly killed off in Infinity War, a version of Loki from the past was able to thwart the OG Avengers and retreat with his precious Tesseract intact.
Good Loki may have died in Infinity War, but we can’t wait to love to hate the god of mischief all over again.
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Black Widow Goes Out On Her Terms
Color us shocked that Black Widow was the first Avenger to sacrifice herself for the “greater good.” That’s exactly what she did, however, after a brief but intense final battle with her best friend and muse, Hawkeye. Believing Barton had much more to lose if he were the one to sacrifice himself, Natasha betrayed her friend with the best intentions, giving her own life to secure the Soul Stone.
She wouldn't have it any other way. Literally.
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Tony Gets a Happy Middle
He may not have had the happiest of beginnings and his end was certainly bittersweet but, for a while, Tony got his happy middle. After the events of Infinity War, Tony and Pepper Potts retreated into a remote location to try and live some semblance of a normal life. In doing so, the two had a child and the little girl was the light of Tony’s Arc Reactor.
Even in the midst of tragedy, it was nice to see Tony have a little peace. God knows he earned it (and will earn it again).
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Carol Danvers Marvels
As the newest addition to the MCU, Captain Marvel didn’t get as much screen time as some of her compatriots, but she definitely made the most of her time. Quality won out over quantity for Carol Danvers, but it could be argued that she single-handedly saved the world (by saving the Avengers). With the retirement of a certain Mr. Steve Rogers, there’s a new Captain in town and we’re not talkin’ about Falcon.
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Avengers...Assemble
He said it. He finally f’n said it.
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Tony Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice Play
In the original Avengers film, Cap gave Tony a real talking to, telling him that he was “not the guy to make the sacrifice play.” Stark proved him wrong then, and he proved him wrong once-and-for-all when he put on the Infinity Gauntlet, snapped his fingers and saved all of humanity. You can’t get bigger than that and Tony finally got the peace he had spent his life looking for. He earned a long sleep and, no matter whoever else may wear the armor, Tony Stark proved that he is, was and always will be…Iron Man.
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Cap Proves His Worth
It was teased in Thor that Steve Rogers might just be worthy enough to yield Mjolnir. While never proven, it was a precedent set in the comic books so fans believed it would only be a matter of time before they saw the live-action version of the ultimate sword-in-the-stone move.
They finally got that moment in Endgame. In the midst of battle, it was not Thor who brought the hammer down on Thanos. It was Captain America, who proved his worth 10 times over with the simple flip of a houseware item.
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And They Danced Forever
An argument could be made that the story of the Avengers was either Tony’s story, or Steve’s story. Steve was technically “the first Avenger,” but it was Tony who initiated the Avengers Initiative.
Regardless, Cap was more or less the star of the last few Avengers-ish movies, so it made sense that the final shot would be of him.
For fans of not only comic books, but of love as well, the final moment of Steve Rogers going back in time to return the Infinity Stones and then staying in time to finally live his own life was the stuff of storybooks. And who was waiting to dance and then “do life” with him? Why, Peggy Carter of course. They had a date, after all.
