I'm not sure when I got hooked on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I remember seeing 'The Avengers' in 2012 and not really caring because the movie I was REALLY anticipating was 'The Dark Knight Rises,' coming out later that summer. I liked the movie just fine, but I think I finally got hooked with, what remains to this day my favorite MCU film, 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier.' By the time 'Infinity War' came around last year, I'd been counting down the days until its release. Watching pirated trailers, reading fan theories, basically turning into Ted Mosby (subbing Avengers movies for 'Star Wars').
I've now seen the movie twice. The rules are, you can live tweet 'Game of Thrones,' but thou shalt not discuss 'Endgame' spoilers. My girlfriend hates these movies, so with that combination, I have no outlet to talk about the movie. So here it is. I have some thoughts about the movie that I want to share without turning into LeSean McCoy, so let's get started:
I had a few specific things that I desperately wanted to see leading into Endgame.
WHAT I WANTED TO SEE:
Knowing that this was gonna be the last appearance for Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, and deducing along with the rest of the world that the film would involve time travel, I wanted to see a reunion with his father, Howard. I thought long and hard about how I wanted this to transpire, and my conclusion was, I wanted to see Howard and Tony reunite around a time where Tony was a sarcastic teenager and Howard didn't think much of him. I envisioned it around the time Tony had his 'BARF' lecture from 'Civil War.' Imagine Howard scolding a teenaged Tony for being a disappointment, only to see that in the future, Tony becomes Iron Man and saves the world?
WHAT HAPPENED:
It happened! Well, kind of. I knew once they went to 1970 that Howard was going to be involved somehow. They talked about fatherhood, and it honestly choked me up a little bit. BUT I would've done it differently. So they need to travel back to a time where the Pym Particles AND the Cube were in the same place at the same time, right? Then why not 1990ish? Hank Pym was still at SHIELD, as was Howard. Tony was around 20 at this time, perfect for Howard to see future Tony and recognize him. I even think Tony showing off his Iron Man tech to save them both (Hydra? Somebody sees him and Cap breaking in and gets a little jumpy?) would have been amazing. Plus, Cap being there could've been awesome for Howard. Howard idolizes Cap, and lets Tony hear about it. Then to find out Cap and Tony are working together to save the universe? Man, I get chills thinking about his reaction. But, it's just a dream at this point. Still, the reunion works for me. I just think it would've been cool for Howard and Tony to have a REAL reunion.
Plus, this could've been a cool callback to the beginning of Ant Man. If you recall, Hank abruptly resigns from SHIELD after finding out Howard was trying to replicate his formula. He punches some dude in the face for the quip about protecting Janet. That would've been the perfect time. Peggy was still there too, so Cap could've had his moment with her. Just me though.
WHAT I WANTED TO SEE:
Cap and Tony make up and address their fallout and the events of Civil War.
WHAT HAPPENED:
My only real disappointment with the film. They pretty much act like it never happened. I get it, there are bigger fish to fry, but at some point, wouldn't they have to address it in order to work together? There are no apologies, no regrets, no talk about Cap having to basically live as a fugitive or Tony breaking up the Avengers. Tony goes on a rant right after he's rescued about being right about creating Ultron, which was one of my favorite parts of the film. I love movies that call back events from past movies, which this movie did nothing but. However, this was a missing element for me.
WHAT I WANTED TO SEE:
This is much more minor compared to the other ones, but I kind of wanted to see Tony show up at Aunt May's house and tell her what happened to Peter. Think about it, Peter was on another planet, so nobody saw him since he disappeared from the bus. May knows he's Spider-Man, so she had to have known he was fighting, but never heard from him again. I thought it would've been a good, emotional scene, since Tony is Peter's father figure and May is his mother figure.
Personally, I get that the film was 3 hours, but you could've shortened a few of the comedic scenes (Professor Hulk, drunk fat Thor) to cram in some more grief. The film skips to 5 years later pretty quickly. I would've preferred more scenes around the world about the shock and grief from what just transpired.
WHAT I WANTED TO SEE:
Hulk triumphantly transform at the film's climax after failing to do so in Infinity War. Nope, not even close. He's just Professor Hulk. I miss scary Hulk.
OTHER THINGS I WANTED TO SEE:
-Tony build his own gauntlet. Check.
-Hawkeye do something important... honestly Hawkeye was awesome in this. You actually felt like he was needed,
- Phil Caulson and Nick Fury. Nope. Caulson remains dead and Fury makes a cameo at the end. I miss them though. Fury had a cool role in 'Captain Marvel,' but other than that he hasn't done anything meaningful since 'The Winter Soldier.' I get it, SHIELD collapsed, but still.
-Tony and Peter Parker reunion. Check.
- I wanted a rematch with current Thanos, mainly just so he realizes how he fucked up by not killing Stark and the rest of the Avengers when they had the chance. I understand that killing Thanos early on establishes the true pit of despair they climb into. They're Avengers that have nothing to avenge. They killed the mass murderer and everybody is still dead. They're without hope. But part of me just wishes that there was a true rematch.
OLD MAN CAP:
If you try to think too hard about the ending, you just end up confused. OK, so Cap went to be with Peggy in the alternate universe, but did he just hide around for like 50 years? Did he work? Also, I thought going back in time wouldn't put you in this timeline? It's best not to analyze. The filmmakers went with the satisfying character conclusion over the logical by-the-rules time travel, so just go with it. I hate this arc for Steve, though. I mean, the world just got restored. They're gonna need Captain America, right? I mean, imagine everybody's PTSD. I know Chris Evans was done after this film, but in that case, I'd prefer he just died. Steve Rogers would never put down the shield. His worst fear from 'Age of Ultron' was literally finding out the war ended (and he was with Peggy then, too). I think his need to serve outweighs his love for Peggy. But whatever, I don't hate it. One major character death was enough as it is.
TONY'S SACRIFICE
If you're gonna kill a main character, this is the way to do it. The film establishes several times that no mortal man can survive the gauntlet, so Tony knows it's gonna kill him. The way he says, "I...am...Iron Man," with that look of terror, then rage, is exactly what makes Robert Downey Jr. the heart of the MCU.
This film establishes throughout that Tony isn't willing to lose the life he's built, which kind of contradicts his character from the past few films. He literally stands toe to toe with Thanos in Infinity War, knowing he's heavily outmatched. So that should be the first hint that he's gonna bite the dust. Still, it hurt nonetheless.
I got goosebumps when he exchanged that look with Doctor Strange after Thanos uses the power stone to deflect Captain Marvel. The look of agony, as if he knew this was going to kill Tony but it was the only way, so it must be done. Then the dramatic music. Thanos' "I am inevitable" quote. Wow, this might be the coolest main character death that I can really remember on film.
I've now seen the movie twice. The rules are, you can live tweet 'Game of Thrones,' but thou shalt not discuss 'Endgame' spoilers. My girlfriend hates these movies, so with that combination, I have no outlet to talk about the movie. So here it is. I have some thoughts about the movie that I want to share without turning into LeSean McCoy, so let's get started:
I had a few specific things that I desperately wanted to see leading into Endgame.
WHAT I WANTED TO SEE:
Knowing that this was gonna be the last appearance for Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, and deducing along with the rest of the world that the film would involve time travel, I wanted to see a reunion with his father, Howard. I thought long and hard about how I wanted this to transpire, and my conclusion was, I wanted to see Howard and Tony reunite around a time where Tony was a sarcastic teenager and Howard didn't think much of him. I envisioned it around the time Tony had his 'BARF' lecture from 'Civil War.' Imagine Howard scolding a teenaged Tony for being a disappointment, only to see that in the future, Tony becomes Iron Man and saves the world?
WHAT HAPPENED:
It happened! Well, kind of. I knew once they went to 1970 that Howard was going to be involved somehow. They talked about fatherhood, and it honestly choked me up a little bit. BUT I would've done it differently. So they need to travel back to a time where the Pym Particles AND the Cube were in the same place at the same time, right? Then why not 1990ish? Hank Pym was still at SHIELD, as was Howard. Tony was around 20 at this time, perfect for Howard to see future Tony and recognize him. I even think Tony showing off his Iron Man tech to save them both (Hydra? Somebody sees him and Cap breaking in and gets a little jumpy?) would have been amazing. Plus, Cap being there could've been awesome for Howard. Howard idolizes Cap, and lets Tony hear about it. Then to find out Cap and Tony are working together to save the universe? Man, I get chills thinking about his reaction. But, it's just a dream at this point. Still, the reunion works for me. I just think it would've been cool for Howard and Tony to have a REAL reunion.
Plus, this could've been a cool callback to the beginning of Ant Man. If you recall, Hank abruptly resigns from SHIELD after finding out Howard was trying to replicate his formula. He punches some dude in the face for the quip about protecting Janet. That would've been the perfect time. Peggy was still there too, so Cap could've had his moment with her. Just me though.
WHAT I WANTED TO SEE:
Cap and Tony make up and address their fallout and the events of Civil War.
WHAT HAPPENED:
My only real disappointment with the film. They pretty much act like it never happened. I get it, there are bigger fish to fry, but at some point, wouldn't they have to address it in order to work together? There are no apologies, no regrets, no talk about Cap having to basically live as a fugitive or Tony breaking up the Avengers. Tony goes on a rant right after he's rescued about being right about creating Ultron, which was one of my favorite parts of the film. I love movies that call back events from past movies, which this movie did nothing but. However, this was a missing element for me.
WHAT I WANTED TO SEE:
This is much more minor compared to the other ones, but I kind of wanted to see Tony show up at Aunt May's house and tell her what happened to Peter. Think about it, Peter was on another planet, so nobody saw him since he disappeared from the bus. May knows he's Spider-Man, so she had to have known he was fighting, but never heard from him again. I thought it would've been a good, emotional scene, since Tony is Peter's father figure and May is his mother figure.
Personally, I get that the film was 3 hours, but you could've shortened a few of the comedic scenes (Professor Hulk, drunk fat Thor) to cram in some more grief. The film skips to 5 years later pretty quickly. I would've preferred more scenes around the world about the shock and grief from what just transpired.
WHAT I WANTED TO SEE:
Hulk triumphantly transform at the film's climax after failing to do so in Infinity War. Nope, not even close. He's just Professor Hulk. I miss scary Hulk.
OTHER THINGS I WANTED TO SEE:
-Tony build his own gauntlet. Check.
-Hawkeye do something important... honestly Hawkeye was awesome in this. You actually felt like he was needed,
- Phil Caulson and Nick Fury. Nope. Caulson remains dead and Fury makes a cameo at the end. I miss them though. Fury had a cool role in 'Captain Marvel,' but other than that he hasn't done anything meaningful since 'The Winter Soldier.' I get it, SHIELD collapsed, but still.
-Tony and Peter Parker reunion. Check.
- I wanted a rematch with current Thanos, mainly just so he realizes how he fucked up by not killing Stark and the rest of the Avengers when they had the chance. I understand that killing Thanos early on establishes the true pit of despair they climb into. They're Avengers that have nothing to avenge. They killed the mass murderer and everybody is still dead. They're without hope. But part of me just wishes that there was a true rematch.
OLD MAN CAP:
If you try to think too hard about the ending, you just end up confused. OK, so Cap went to be with Peggy in the alternate universe, but did he just hide around for like 50 years? Did he work? Also, I thought going back in time wouldn't put you in this timeline? It's best not to analyze. The filmmakers went with the satisfying character conclusion over the logical by-the-rules time travel, so just go with it. I hate this arc for Steve, though. I mean, the world just got restored. They're gonna need Captain America, right? I mean, imagine everybody's PTSD. I know Chris Evans was done after this film, but in that case, I'd prefer he just died. Steve Rogers would never put down the shield. His worst fear from 'Age of Ultron' was literally finding out the war ended (and he was with Peggy then, too). I think his need to serve outweighs his love for Peggy. But whatever, I don't hate it. One major character death was enough as it is.
TONY'S SACRIFICE
If you're gonna kill a main character, this is the way to do it. The film establishes several times that no mortal man can survive the gauntlet, so Tony knows it's gonna kill him. The way he says, "I...am...Iron Man," with that look of terror, then rage, is exactly what makes Robert Downey Jr. the heart of the MCU.
This film establishes throughout that Tony isn't willing to lose the life he's built, which kind of contradicts his character from the past few films. He literally stands toe to toe with Thanos in Infinity War, knowing he's heavily outmatched. So that should be the first hint that he's gonna bite the dust. Still, it hurt nonetheless.
I got goosebumps when he exchanged that look with Doctor Strange after Thanos uses the power stone to deflect Captain Marvel. The look of agony, as if he knew this was going to kill Tony but it was the only way, so it must be done. Then the dramatic music. Thanos' "I am inevitable" quote. Wow, this might be the coolest main character death that I can really remember on film.
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