In Review: Avengers: Endgame

A MARVEL of Modern Filmmaking

by Ted Geise

Picking up where Avengers: Infinity War left off, Avengers: Endgame begins with the aftermath following Thanos’ eradication of half of all life in the universe. The great vanishing has emotional impact and, while Thanos believed people would be grateful, most people are struggling and sad. The Avengers who are left carry on but suffer the added burden of failure. And then, five years after the tragic event an extremely unlikely yet possible way to reverse the extinction presents itself—so they assemble to pursue it.

That the film deals extensively with the effects of failure is interesting as few films of this kind take the time to look at its effects, especially from so many angles. Some characters like Iron Man and Bruce Banner the Hulk have accepted what happened, moved on, and built new lives. Others like Black Widow and Captain America double down on the Avengers initiative; their fellow heroes are their only family and losing them would be soul crushing.

Hawkeye, who had stepped away from the super hero life after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, did not take the great vanishing well. Endgame opens on a tender family picnic, with Barton helping his daughter Lila improve her archery skills. But a world away, Thanos snaps his fingers, leading to the death of Barton’s daughter, his wife, and their sons. Bitter and angry at the loss of his family, Hawkeye vigilante, hunting down criminals.

How does Thor the god of thunder take failure? Mostly on the rocks—like a White Russian. The now house-coated Lebowski-esque Thor spirals into depression. Overindulging in food and drink, he holes himself up in a seaside shack in New Asgard, Norway drinking beer and playing video games. (The Russo brothers kept this transformation out of posters and trailers making it one of the film’s many surprises.) And while the beer-bellied Thor receives a lot of ribbing from characters like Rocket Raccoon his story is particularly poignant yet problematic.

In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos says to Thor and Loki “I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless.” These sentiments haunt Thor because he may have lost more than any other character since audiences were introduced to him back in 2011’s Thor. By the time Avengers: Endgame begins, Thor has lost his father Oden, his girlfriend Jane Foster, his friend Heimdall, his home world of Asgard at the hands of his evil sister Hela and the demon Surtur, his adopted brother Loki, and his mother Frigga. Like Barton, Thor couldn’t save his loved ones, and wonders if he is in fact worthy of the “hero” mantle.

While some of the heroes receive more character development than others, and some who received little or no screen time in Infinity War like Hawkeye are featured more prominently, almost all the characters receive a chance to express their grief, loss, and failure. So too they are given moments to shine and reclaim their tarnished valour. This is a hard thing to accomplish as there are so many characters to juggle.

Marvel Studios and Disney have achieved something remarkable: a 22-film saga with interrelated television programming that eclipses other sci-fi/fantasy franchises in both scale and scope. While there were successful Marvel films before 2008’s Iron Man, they didn’t hang together in a complex meta-narrative the way the films after Iron Man do. The current Marvel Cinematic Universe, which seems to have hit an apex with Infinity War and Endgame, has given comic book fans something they might only have imagined in their dreams: a movie saga as rich as the comic books. Where it all goes from here is the big question. With Avengers: Endgame perhaps audiences have witnessed an end to a golden era of modern comic book films.

The current Marvel Cinematic Universe has given comic book fans something they might only have imagined in their dreams: a movie saga as rich as the comic books.

More than any other recent franchise aside from HBO’s Game of Thrones, the Marvel films have become event viewing—and unlike Game of Thrones, they have a much wider audience appeal for families. Some of the most emotional beats in Endgame revolve around family: the loss of family, the desire to protect family, the need for friends as family in the absence of biological family. And for many viewers, these superheroes have become like family. At the end of Infinity War, audiences took the vanishing of Spider-Man very hard, with many viewers moved to tears. Endgame is no less emotional and may even be more so, as the fate of some characters may be irreversible.

Just as he did in 2012’s The Avengers, Tony Stark (Iron Man) makes the ultimate sacrifice in Endgame, risking his life to save all. But unlike previous acts of self sacrifice, it looks like there is no return this time. Stark’s final words before offering himself up for the lives of others brings the whole saga back to the film that started it all: 2008’s Iron Man.

But Stark is not the man he was; he is a better man. His death triggers a difficult passing of the torch signifying that while some characters and storylines may continue nothing will be the same. Iron Man has been the backbone of the Marvel Comics Universe. Endgame also sees the conclusion of Captain America’s story, ending with him finally having his promised dance with Peggy Carter. These touching conclusions are both satisfying and heart-rending—emotional responses few people back in 2008 would have thought possible in a comic book film.

This is the genius of these films: they are more than 3-D CGI slugfests populated with two-dimensional characters. The MCU has earned its emotional payoffs, creating some truly satisfying and memorable epic stories. The way they cap off the previous 20 films and deal with their central characters even improves some of the earlier films, making them more poignant on repeat viewing. The early foolhardy and vain Thor goes through such a profound series of events between his first film and Endgame that viewers who may at first have been put off by the character’s arrogance can rewatch his first film with more charity. Viewers can cheer on Thor all over again in this film because, unlike Iron Man and Captain America, he seems at the midpoint in his personal MCU storyline.

Christian viewers will have much to think about after watching the film. While Iron Man is no Jesus, he willingly sacrifices himself for the good of others so they may have life and be reunited with those they loved. When approached to help the Avengers in their plan to reverse Thanos’ acts from Infinity War, Iron Man is initially reluctant. Here Christians might see a faint echo of Jesus’ desire to have the cup of suffering and death pass from Him when He prays in the garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion. But unlike Jesus, Iron Man doesn’t know what lies ahead of him when he rejoins the Avengers. At one point he asks Dr. Strange if they are in the one future where they win against Thanos to which Strange replies, “If I tell you what happens, it won’t happen.” Jesus knows what will happen when He goes to the cross yet in His humanity both humbly asks if there is another way and obediently takes the one way available to Him because of His love for His Father and all people.

While Iron Man is no Jesus, he willingly sacrifices himself for the good of others so they may have life and be reunited with those they loved.

Another point of contact between these films and the Bible is the way Infinity War and Endgame present the sacrifice of Iron Man as the only way to fix their problem. The Bible likewise presents Jesus’ Good Friday death on the cross as the single way in which the fall into sin can be overcome. Jesus’ death at the cross was necessary so that Satan might likewise be overcome by a tree, the wood of the cross with Jesus nailed there. Similarly, the infinity stones which brought death to half the universe at the hand of Thanos are ultimately used by the gauntleted hand of Iron Man to bring life to those who were lost. In the end Stark, like Jesus, willingly makes this sacrifice offering his life for the lives of others. But unlike Jesus, Stark has no Easter resurrection from the dead three days later.

Much of the plot in Endgame revolves around time travel. Many viewers don’t like time travel narratives because they see it as a cheap way to get out of a narrative pickle. But Endgame’s use of time travel allows the MCU to run a victory lap by popping back into some of the pivotal films from the previous 20 films. Because of the rich meta-narrative woven over the last eleven years, this is a satisfying decision, allowing the audience to reflect on just how much has changed as the MCU has unfolded.

Which brings things back around to Thor— a storyline both poignant and problematic. Christians may want to think on the exchange Thor has with his mother Frigga—something made possible only by the use of time travel. Frigga, upon seeing her depressed and broken son from the future says, “Everyone fails at who they are supposed to be. The measure of a person, a hero, is how they succeed at being who they are.” Then Thor holds out his hand to summon his hammer Mjolnir, the hammer that can only be held by one who is worthy. The hammer comes to him and with relief he says “I’m still worthy!”

Part of this is problematic for Christians. On the one hand it is good for people to be honest about their true nature, that they are in fact not who they are supposed to be—to acknowledge their sin and moral failure. Such acknowledgment is an essential part of repentance. The idea that people should simply accept themselves for who they are without the encouragement to improve and do better is a major problem. Such advice can give way to nihilism—a kind of “you do you” way of living. Viewers who are striving towards virtue as they live their lives may find themselves discouraged on this point. Perhaps this will be mitigated in future films as Thor continues his character arc.

For all its seriousness and epic battles, Endgame is also a movie with a surprising amount of humor. Fans will be hard pressed to come up with just one favourite moment. Overall, Endgame is a sentimental masterpiece intended to strike at the emotions. And because emotions are subjective, the success of the film will be measured best by the viewer’s investment in the story. In that way the film is a perfect reflection of the time in which it has been made. Strong positive and nostalgic emotions go a long way to gloss over the more glaring plot holes introduced by time travel.

That said, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, along with the rest of the MCU films, can easily be counted as a real achievement unlike anything else in the film world today: a big budget serial film franchise with heart and style to spare.

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Rev. Ted Giese is lead pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; a contributor to The Canadian Lutheran, Reporter; and movie reviewer for the “Issues, Etc.” radio program. Follow Pastor Giese on Twitter @RevTedGiese.

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