Avengers: Endgame puts a final stamp on superhero genre

Epic.

That word will get thrown around a lot when describing “Avengers: EndGame” but it fits.

This decade long saga that began with a Marvel dice roll called “Iron Man,” has morphed into a universe of heroes who are now taking their battle to the ends of the universe.

And the battle in “Avengers: EndGame” has billions of lives at stake.

The film starts with our surviving Avengers wallowing in a world where half the population, including many of their fellow heroes, turned to dust with the snap of the fingers of Thanos, a worthy villain, who more than makes his presence known again in this film.

There’s not a lot of hope at the beginning of the movie, until Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) escapes from the microscopic Quantum Realm. He’s got some ideas about fixing the Thanos problem, and seeks out help from the Avengers.

I can’t really go any further into details without throwing out spoilers and surprises, of which there are plenty, but it leads to a Back to the Future vibe that will truly boggle your mind if you try to figure it out.

That’s okay, because if you’ve been here for the ride since the creation of the MCU, it’s about the characters, and particularly the actors, who have endeared themselves to audiences over 22 films.

Among the heroes on hand, this is really a showcase for Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) and Chris Evans (Captain America) who not only play the leaders of the Avengers, but also provide grounded portrayals that make the sci-fi stakes seem real.

Speaking of grounded, directors Anthony and Joe Russo have done an amazing job of keeping these movies as grounded in the real world as they can be as they continue to soar to worlds one can only dream of.

There is humor, drama, anger, and tears, sometimes in the same scene.
Tears in a superhero flick? If you’ve invested the time and years into this particular quest, yes, the tears flow easily.

The ending makes it hard to see where the MCU goes from here. It feels like Marvel has taken the concept, and formula, of a superhero movie as far as it can go. But this film will make billions, and we know there will be more to come.

Yet, It is difficult to imagine any future films will be as epic, and satisfying, as this final chapter.