Endgame Thoughts

[learnedfoot]

For posterity, if nothing else.


Okay, I'm on team loved it. It was not without flaws, but it gave me way more things I loved than things I did not love, and overall I really found it a testament to what had been built over the last decade. The references didn't just feel like references to me, but a celebration.

Things I loved
-- NEBULA. Nebula and Tony. Nebula and Gamora (which I now ship like burning). Nebula and complex character arcs. Just, yes. I never, ever expected her to get so much to do and I am thrilled.

-- Rhodey and Nebula! The unexpected team up I did not know I needed.

-- Rocket being the best, always.

-- Carol kicking ass, taking names, and getting a great haircut.

-- This is the most I've liked Steve in a long time. "I could do this all day" / "Yeah, I know." "That IS America's ass." "HAIL HYDRA." Getting to wield Mjolnir!

-- Just, the entire time heist. Every part of it

-- FUCKING SAM AS CAPTAIN AMERICA I CAN'T BELIEVE IT I'M SO HAPPY!

-- Pretty sure that nod sealed the deal on my shipping Bucky/Sam

-- Val! Val as king!

-- Everyone showing up through those portals. My HEART. My theater went insane and I loved it.

-- Peter meeting Carol, that was adorable.

-- Badass women team up moment. It was fanservice, but I loved it

-- Wong being so done with Strange's shit. "You wanted more?"

-- Strange's "one" finger moment

-- All things Scott Lang. I love him. His reunion with Cassie broke my heart. His fanboying of Steve is great.

-- And it should come as no surprise that I am just dying over how well my ship was served. All I wanted was some acknowledgment that Tony was specifically upset about Peter's death. What I got was "I lost the kid," Tony's entire early meltdown, Tony's entire fucking reason for changing his mind about the time heist being Peter, a holy shit you're alive facial expression that rivals Spike upon seeing Buffy, THAT HUG, and Peter getting the most tearful goodbye as Tony dies. Like. What. How.

Things I am more complicated about, but ultimately like
-- Tony and Pepper's kid. Thought I would hate this. Will definitely still AU this all away for most fic purposes. But in the context of the movie, Morgan was adorable, Tony as a dad was adorable, I'm good with it.

-- Tony dying. This was the thing I least wanted from the film, but I thought it was handled wonderfully, and was a good end to his arc. I would have had a hard time buying him choosing to ever let the superhero life go, so in retrospect, I think this was actually preferable to a chosen retirement. (It's less good than "injured so he can't be Iron Man, becomes the funder and Q of the new Avengers and still pops up to do stuff in all of Peter's movies" would have been, but that was probably too much wishful thinking.)

All that said, I am incredibly sad there will be no more Tony Stark in the MCU. I just. I'm sad about it. He remains forever and always my favorite.

-- Nat dying. I'm not sure how I feel about the choice from a meta perspective, I'm still working that out, and it ultimately may depend on what ends up happening with her movie. That said, I did like that it was *her* choice, and that she got it by beating Clint in a fight. And in general, I really loved the depth of their friendship.

-- Thor going off with the Guardians. I'm not sure if the film quite justified how it got there (even leaving aside the other problems mentioned below), but I am excited about the potential here. More Thor and Rocket!

-- I'm fine with Steve's ending. How the time travel of it all works makes my head hurt. I get why other people are not fine with it. But as someone who is basically like a non-fandom person when it comes to Steve -- I've seen all his movies, I like him well enough, but I don't care all that much -- this seemed fine.

Things I did not like or have some meh about
-- Nat not getting more of a memorial at some point

-- I wanted Tony and Carol to interact on screen. Now we're never going to get that.

-- Peter should have been at the playing of Tony's final recording (though FFH can correct this for me if he gets his own special recording please please please MCU).

-- They need to chill with the Thor v. Quill rivalry if they are keeping Thor interacting with the Guardians crew. We get it, it's gotten old now.

-- I am...confused about what the five year jump is going to mean for the functioning of the world going forward. I guess FFH might clear that up? But for now, confused.

The one thing I really hated
-- Thor's weight gain and depression being played as a joke. Just, ug. Why. Reject.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, too!

Comments

[learnedfoot]

I'm SO PROUD of and happy for Karen, my gosh. I've loved her since Doctor Who, through Selfie and Oculus and Jumanji. I've always known she has great comedic timing. But I am just so pleased the MCU has given her a chance to shine in a dramatic role in such a big way. I never would have expected her to get so much to do, and it's been thrilling.