Has all the elements needed for an all-time great finale. Meant to conclude the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first perfect run of films. And while it delivers in many ways, a few bad decisions hold it back from perfection.

I’ve seen it twice, once upon release in the theater and again yesterday. The first viewing was somewhat devastating. The content, obviously, but also the experience for your handsome writer.

The “hail hydra” moment encapsulates Avengers: Endgame’s primary flaw. In an early trailer, Steve Rogers says those words to a sinister-seeming character.

“What do you think of the whole, ‘Hail Hydra’ thing?” folks would ask.
“I wouldn’t know because I never watch trailers,” I reply.
“Well, Captain America says it to a bad guy at one point,” they continue, not getting it.
“Okay.”
“So that means Cap’s, like, a bad guy.”

We don’t need to ask this person about their comic reading background. They haven’t read the source material in which Hydra (an assuredly evil organization) originates. They have not. They’ve read an internet article outlining the potential implied by referencing such a group famous in the comics.

But intuition tells anybody familiar with comics this is a marketing mislead. A red herring. Cap is the most incorruptible character in comic books – the narrative would never bend in that direction.

I still find it silly, this type of talk. Every comic book fan is expected to know the reference to “Hydra.” Those of us who don’t will scramble to our computers to find out. As events play out in the film, this moment’s inconsequential. It’s strong writing. It is a callback and an inversion from an earlier film. Not in the trailer or the mouths of the public before the feature. It unfolds exactly as a comic fan would expect. Cap then exits the elevator with a grin towards the camera. He seems to say, “Tricked you with that trailer there, didn’t we?” Which is also fun, in its way.

But it is utterly needless discussion. A marketing ploy forced into the collective discourse of the enthusiastic public.

Sometime before this, Disney/Marvel announced publicly that all their good ideas run out with Endgame. The natural implication being that the major players (Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., especially) had contracts that were up. We will give them a final-feeling send-off.

There is nothing productive in this self-consciousness projected by the filmmakers. Don’t front-load us with, “These actors were expensive. We won’t renegotiate over justifiable scripts. Things will (mostly) be ending here, because we’re out of good ideas.”

And don’t title it Endgame. Incorporating the business machinations into the rendering of this narrative caused a corruption. This corruption began before the film’s end. It has really taken hold since.

“Consider this the end. Not to Marvel content – we’ll still produce plenty. It will suck, though. But hey, have you seen the teaser?”

Endgame‘s strengths are undeniable. The film earns its emotional weight. Moments like Tony Stark’s ‘I love you 3000’ land so sweetly. This is a rare instance where the film’s self-awareness doesn’t diminish its sincerity. Thanos remains a compelling villain, with his past self’s arrival adding an intriguing layer to the film’s conflict. The climactic battle sequence is a grand spectacle. The character arcs for Tony Stark and Steve Rogers (minus the shield nonsense) conclude their journeys fittingly.

Certain choices undermine the film’s integrity. The all-female hero team-up moment feels inorganic. Too contrived to be taken seriously within the narrative. (The first moment I felt I no longer suspend disbelief since the MCU began.) Captain America’s decision to give away his shield is another baffling misstep, an unnecessary move that weakens the film.

The time travel mechanics are murky at best, leading to a host of logical inconsistencies. So past Thor no longer has Mjolnir? Young Captain America stubbornly disregards his obviously older self. This does not feel like the same behavior of young Cap in The Avengers.

Doctor Strange’s mass circle teleportation sequence, particularly Falcon’s “On your left” line, raises questions about the film’s contrivances. Strange rematerializes on Titan with omniscience. He teleports all Earth’s heroes to the same position at once. This includes the small group on Titan and all other super groups spread across the Earth. No precedent has been set for such an act. Plus, teleportation on this scale is dangerous for the MCU mechanics. Why not just teleport Thanos (and his army) into deep space instead? Why not teleport his head off his shoulders? 😉

Even so, mass teleporting all those characters into the main battle feels like an unnecessary spectacle. I did not need them all there. A more plausible, basic progression would have been preferable. Does Wasp have a relationship with Dr. Strange, or anybody other than Ant-Man in that final battle?

These choices – the forced spectacle, the contract-conscious character sendoffs and the misdirected marketing – highlight a larger issue. This film’s main flaw stems from its marketing-driven decision-making. Marvel/Disney’s overenthusiastic meddling compromised the integrity of the narrative, preemptively closing doors for contractual rather than storytelling reasons. The self-consciousness of its ‘finality’ was projected onto the audience, disrupting immersion.

Endgame is a mostly well-constructed conclusion, but it falls short of the perfect sendoff it could have been. The final battle is overstuffed. Forced moments of modern Hollywood posturing and a few narrative choices also leave a mark on an otherwise strong film. Ultimately, Infinity War remains the superior entry. Its narrative cohesion elevates it. The devastating emotional stakes place it above Endgame‘s more scattered execution.

A good film, but not the seamless masterpiece it was poised to be.

★★★★ ★★★★

Less detailed analyses at IMDb and Letterboxd.

Read why teleportation doesn’t work in Deadpool & Wolverine. Or uplift your spirits with Thunderbolts*. The Batman for DC!