It truly is the end of an era. Watching the MCU films has always been the highlight of my year and today was no different. After seeing The Avengers: Endgame a few days ago, I came home this evening and threw on The Avengers: Infinity War because I don’t want to let go. And I am also a glutton for pain, lol.
Going to see The Avengers: Endgame was the very definition of bittersweet. Iron Man came out when I was a film student and here I am ten years later just as entranced as I was that first time. That is the beauty of Marvel films, specifically. I didn’t read the comics, but I loved and learned about these characters all the same.
Flawed, dispirit, heroic, complex, humorous, and above all lovable, the MCU’s characters saw me through the toughest of times, up to and including today. I have been biting off more than I can chew recently and nothing takes the edge off of a hard day quite like an Avengers movie.
I think the magic of the MCU is identifying with hero’s who are still vulnerable in a lot of ways. Just because they have a superpower or super strength doesn’t mean they don’t struggle or don’t have to count on others for support. And I am more than touched by the support my friends and family have provided me lately. If it weren’t for them, I might not be writing about film and working on staying sober.
And I am just going to be honest and say that, yeah, I did expect something more from The Avengers: Endgame, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. I’ll probably go and see it again. But I also think that is the catch-22 of a decade long film franchise coming to a close: Maybe nothing would have seemed like enough. Maybe no matter what happened I would have been left feeling empty, you know, the usual way goodbyes make us feel.
So, here’s to you, Stan Lee, you’re the true MVP of the MCU. Thank you for your vision. It’s been one hell of a decade.
In the mood for movies 