The last instalment of the Avengers as we know it is a mixture of tears, laughter and optimism for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

WARNING – The following article contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame

It has been 21 films and 11 years since Iron Man was first released back in 2008, and Avengers: Endgame is the perfect way to wrap up this chapter for ‘Earth’s mightiest heroes’. 

When Avengers: Infinity War was released last year, moviegoers were left in suspense as half of the universe was ‘dusted’ by villain Thanos (Josh Brolin). Major characters including Spiderman (Tom Holland) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) were presumed dead leaving the Avengers in a crisis. 

Avengers: Endgame picked up with the original 6 avengers struggling to cope with the decimation that Thanos had caused. After an eventful opening 15 minutes featuring a near-dead Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and a decapitation it seemed like the movie would never be short of action. The first act was the slowest part of 181-minute long film, due to the overwhelming feeling of remorse and uncertainty – although this was critical to setting up the final battle. 

It was thrilling to see the avengers travel back in time to key moments in the MCU’s history, including the original Avengers movie and the Thor trilogy. This time travel resulted in the death of original avenger Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) providing a tear jerker moment for fans even though the worst was yet to come. 

However, the ‘fatter’ version of Thor was less convincing, and it was a discredit to see arguably the most powerful Avenger turning into a running joke rather than a hero. It was also strange to see the glaringly obvious product placement of popular online game ‘Fortnite’, which did not add much to the film or story. 

Arguably, the final battle scene and climax of the film was the best moment in any Marvel movie. The music score, impressive CGI and return of characters paved way for an epic battle sequence that resulted in a bitter sweet ending.

The most emotional moments of the movie were provided by exceptional performances from both Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. The sacrifice of Iron Man was a standout moment which really emphasised how far he had come as a character since the beginning. Captain America’s epilogue finished his story perfectly, where the character arc got the sentimental ending it deserved and the passing of the torch to Falcon (Anthony Mackie) helped continue the legacy into potential future films. 

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo deserve credit for ensuring that the film helped tie up loose ends whilst still leaving audiences excited for what the future holds. The exciting and intense final hour will forever go down as one of the most powerful moments in cinematic history. 

By Alex O’Leary