Fan Service: material in a work of fiction or in a fictional series which is intentionally added to please the audience. Often thought of as a way to cover up perceived plot holes, convoluted stories, or underdeveloped characters.
Avengers: Endgame is fan service to the fullest, and I DO NOT GIVE ONE GOOD HOT DAMN. Writers Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, and Directors Anthony and Joe Russo have mastered balancing pleasing the fans and creating a thoughtful, nuanced story with well-rounded characters.
Avengers: Endgame is the conclusion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 10-year, 22 movie franchise. The Original 6 (OG6) Avengers, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), must find a way to undo the catastrophic devastation caused by the Mad Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War.
The film’s first act is an emotional slow build dealing with the after effects of Thanos’ Decimation of half the universe. With the majority of the MCU heroes dusted, the OG6 must deal with their failure to prevent Thanos from reaching his goals. Captain America is leading post-snap support groups, Iron Man is stranded in space, and Thor is despondent because he didn’t “aim for the head” (if you didn’t get that reference, then there is your answer to “do I need to watch Infinity War before this”). Black Widow seems to be the only one who has taken to leading the team to finding ways to repair the damage left behind. That is until Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man returns from his Ant-Man and the Wasp post-credit scene fate of being stuck in the time-and-space spurning Quantum Realm. He presents the team with one last shot through space and time to defeat the Mad Titan and return the universe to some semblance of normalcy.
In the films 3 hour and 2-minute runtime, I laughed, I cried, I yelled and clapped in utter excitement, then I laughed, and shed one more tear as the last 10 years of my cinematic life waved at me in a loving farewell. The first act’s slow burn of emotions steadily builds into an ever-quickening pace leading to a grandiose, action-packed, and magnificently ambitious final 45 minutes. Believe me when I say nothing will prepare you for this epically beautiful third act. Endgame packs in nostalgia that feels like a love-letter personally written to the fans, balancing true stakes with the Marvel’s familiar humor, and surprises that you didn’t think would ever be a possibility on the big screen.
It’s all delivered with performances that all bring something new to characters we have grown up with. Everyone on screen delivers their best performance to date. The surprise standout is Karen Gillan, transforming the always-screeching Nebula into a fully fleshed out and relatable character. Downey, Rudd, and Hemsworth bring devastation and heartbreak rarely seen amongst their characters’ numerous quips and references. Evans loosens up Cap’s straight laced demeanor for the most fun I have ever seen him have in a film. Renner and Johansson no longer feel like the background as their arcs are the most complete Hawkeye and Black Widow we have ever felt. All of them together allow for perfect combination of levity, drama, wistfulness, and stakes that reward us for our investment into their stories.
Endgame had a lot of high expectations after the events of Infinity War. Many were worried that the ramifications of its brilliant finale would be feel meaningless if Endgame hastily reversed the consequences. I don’t know why we ever doubted the Russo’s. The Directors brought a satisfying resolution to not only Infinity War, but also 10 years of narrative, 10+ major character arcs, and a minimum of at least 6 intersecting storylines. This is a feat that many franchises have failed at landing (with a fraction of the interesting parts) and may never be matched again (even by Marvel Studios themselves). I will have trouble ranking it at the moment because as standalones, I still consider Winter Soldier and Infinity War as better films. But you cannot take Endgame away from its circumstance in movie history. It is a masterful conclusion to the last 10 years of my moviegoing life, and gratifyingly ends an era of filmmaking. That makes it a classic and a masterpiece. I am giving Avengers: Endgame 9.999975/10