So did something go wrong, or did something go right? (Infinity War/Endgame)

Date: December 24, 2022

Music Video of the Day:

Interstellar News: This is my 9th post of the year, and that’s just awful. It’s also telling what a bat-shit year this has been. I want to devote more time to writing in 2023, but there are a lot of things planned and I’m not sure how many spoons I’ll have left for things like this. It’s often relaxing to write – but after a day of composing emails, sometimes I just want out from behind the keyboard. I also need to work out more, spend more time organizing, and taking time to be present with my loved ones. I’m going to try to finish the year strong… but we’ll see.

Anyway, please enjoy this very belated post from when we were doing a chronological re-watch of the MCU. I haven’t decided if I’ll do a round-up posts of all of the movies after this, but rest assured you’ll find out if I do.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

“Dude, you’re embarrassing me in front of the wizards.”: This move escalates things quite quickly, as Thanos goes from one power stone to completing the set in a relatively short span of time. Our heroes are outgunned and outmatched from the get-go, but prove they are heroes by never giving up. I love watching the main characters all meeting each other for the first time and trying to work together with their mismatched styles. There is, of course, the Big Ass Battle in Wakanda, which is epic to watch for so many reasons. Thanos telling Thor that Thor should have “gone for the head” is the biggest burn and one of the best bad guy lines ever… it’s completely devastating.

There is a lot of death and destruction in this movie and it always makes me ugly cry. The sacrifice Gamora never wanted to make, the defiance of both Loki and Heimdall, the heartbreaking decision of Wanda and Vision, the bravery and foolishness of Thor, and the vanishing of half the world are all packed into one movie – and it’s absolutely gut-wrenching. Having had to wait a whole fucking year before knowing how it was all going to turn out was a special kind of torture… so it’s a good thing we watched these in one weekend.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

“And I am Iron Man. snap“: The sequel picks up and we’re right in the action. There’s a rescue, a fight, a meeting of the minds, and even a beheading! Then we fast forward 5 years and my heart sinks every time. 5 years is a long fucking time. Maybe not in the grand scheme of things – but think about all of the things a human typically accomplishes in their first 5 years of life… it’s a lot. Then out pops Ant-Man and we have ourselves a time heist.

The time heist is a lot of fun and also sometimes stressful and awful, like when Black Widow sacrifices herself for Hawkeye. Thor seeing his mother again and Steve catching a glimpse of Peggy tug at the heartstrings while other moments, like watching Quill be an idiot through other people’s eyes, is fabulous. Professor Hulk gets to be a hero, the Avengers get more than they bargained for, and Tony Stark makes the ultimate sacrifice in the most Iron Man way ever. This sets up several of the Disney+ TV shows, which I have now actually watched all of, though I still have to catch up on the Netflix era shows (which I will watch even if they aren’t canon, thank you very much).

Overall, these two were an epic conclusion to a story that had been building for a long time. There was a lot to pack in and, while they are no means perfect, they are good to rewatch as a set and a satisfying conclusion to the power stone saga.

TA Out!