Tag: Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

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The End of Endgame

Avengers: Endgame was released a month ago and has since become one of the top grossing films worldwide. People cannot stop talking about this movie, or, more specifically, the ending.

SPOILER WARNING

SERIOUSLY

THIS POST IS LITERALLY ABOUT HOW THE FILM ENDS


Since before Avengers: Infinity War (2018) was released last year, I was predicting that Steve Rogers would not make it out of the Infinity War (note the original titles of Avengers 3 and 4 were “Infinity War Part I” and “Infinity War Part II” and all the films that have been released are collectively known as “The Infinity Saga”) alive because he is a man living in a foreign time and has nothing in his life outside of the Avengers/fighting the good fight in his life. Meanwhile, I was certain that Tony Stark, who has a life, a woman he loves, and a hugely successful family business, would survive to become support staff, not unlike what he does in the comics from time to time.


I was so wrong.


At first, I was so mad! People around me are sobbing (I always cry at movies– previews make me teary eyed) and I am just sitting there in shock. I left the theater salty as hell and it took sleeping on it for me to process and come to some conclusions.


First, let me start by saying that, in hindsight, I’m glad I was wrong. Being so surprised actually improved my experience. While I adore being right, I think it would’ve been a little anti-climatic for me had it ended the way I anticipated– at least that’s what I keep telling myself.


Now, the ending itself is this: Tony Stark/Iron Man sacrifices his life using his own Infinity Gauntlet to– snap!— destroy Thanos and his forces. He cannot handle the strain on his body and after a tearful farewell– particularly to Pepper Potts and Peter Parker/Spider-Man– he dies. In Captain America: Civil War (2016), Tony talks about how he can’t stop being Iron Man, because deep down he doesn’t want to stop. The general premise of Iron Man 3 (2013) is that he cannot bring himself to stop. Therefore, narratively, it makes sense that the only way for him to stop is to be stopped; he’s not going to stop while he’s still alive.

It’s also important to note that while there is no end credit scene, the last thing you see after the credits is the Marvel Studios logo with the sound of Tony Stark building his first Iron Man suit in the desert playing in the background. In many ways, the series has been his journey, specifically, and now it has come to an end.


Steve Rogers never wields the Infinity Gauntlet, but does gain possession and control of Mjolnir. Proving himself worthy, Steve survives the final battle and is the one to return the Infinity Stones and Mjolnir to where they belong in the timelines. However, Steve doesn’t just return those borrowed items. Instead of coming back to the present, he decides to find Peggy Carter in the past and they finally get that dance they talked about all those years ago and– it is implied– build a life together. In the present, Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier turn from watching Steve disappear to see an elderly Steve sitting on a bench waiting for them. He then passes on the shield and Captain America mantle to Sam.

So, there’s a couple things to unpack here. One thing I’ve always noticed was that you never see any pictures of Peggy Carter’s husband in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I looked. Now, this could be in part due to Marvel’s Agent Carter (2015-2016). Not knowing who she ended up with allowed for showrunners to play with different romantic options, since there was no set conclusion canonically. OR, they could’ve been super clever (directors Anthony and Joe Russo worked on Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame) and already knew where Steve’s story was heading.

I contend that Steve was in love with both Bucky and Peggy. He chose to have a life with Peggy because he could travel to a time not long after World War II and build a life with her in a world that is more familiar to him, one that would be peaceful, especially if he has to remain hidden from the public and his past self. Okay, but why not Bucky from the Russians/Hydra before he becomes the Winter Solider? I think that would have a greater impact on the timeline (as far as Steve’s awareness and the MCU narrative go).

Sam Wilson is Captain America in the comic books, but so is Bucky Barnes. So, why go with Sam and not Bucky? While I will forever maintain that the story of Steve and Bucky is an unfulfilled love story, they are often foils for each other. Sam, however, is consistently depicted as a parallel to Steve, from his first introduction in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). They’ve been through similar experiences (losing a ‘wingman’) and are both natural leaders (Sam leads the charge when the cavalry arrives in Endgame: “On your left” indeed). Also, I think it’s much more meaningful for Sam. Bucky is still bogged down by guilt and seventy years of brainwashing and torture. He does not want to be Captain America, and probably assumes he doesn’t deserve it. Sam has looked up to Captain America his whole life. To be a part of that legacy is a hugely touching gesture for Sam.

Now, while we don’t see it for sure, we know that Steve gets married, presumably to Peggy (who also never changed her maiden name– perhaps to keep her husband safe/secret?) while Tony is given a touching funeral. Pepper and Tony had five years together building a life outside of all the superhero stuff, had a daughter. So, in the end, I believe that Steve chooses to live a life for Tony, who can no longer do so. Tony was ready to hang up the suit– and did for a time– before being dragged back in by Steve. As a tribute– and perhaps out of guilt– Steve decides to do what Tony can’t and gets a life away from it. I think that it makes a lot of sense for Steve to live a peaceful incognito life to honor Tony and his memory, which conveniently explains why old man Steve Rogers wasn’t out fighting while his past self was frozen in the Valkyrie.


For years, producer Kevin Feige has said that everything changes after the Infinity War. That what comes next will be very different from what we’ve seen. Well, of the original Avengers (Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor) only Hulk and Thor are still alive/not clearly retired, but it’s clear that Hulk has found a new life as “Professor Hulk” while The Dude Thor is traveling with the Guardians of the Galaxy. We know that there are already a number of movies and canonical TV shows on their way, including Spider-Man: Far From Home which is set to wrap up Phase 3 this July, and should give us a better sense of what this new world looks like. After 11 years and 22 movies, I think it’s safe to say Feige delivered on his promise. As I’ve said in many previous posts, I look forward to seeing what gets announced next.

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Marvel’s Key Avengers: Part Four

Captain America

Captain America is perhaps my favorite Avenger in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so I have a lot of things I’d like to say regarding the role he plays and his significance. With this bias in mind, I admit that while much of the MCU is focused on the journey of Tony Stark/Iron Man, I believe that it is the actions and consequences of Captain America and his franchise that have the greater impact and importance overall.

As a character Steve Rogers/Captain America is nothing if not earnest; he’s determined to do what he feels is right and what will have the greatest benefit. In Captain America: The First Avenger (2010), Steve Rogers is a small, sickly man, but determined to do his part for the war effort. He explains that there are men laying down their lives for their country and he doesn’t have any right to do anything different. It’s this determination to help that leads him to Dr. Abraham Erskine and Project Rebirth, which turns him into a super-soldier. As Captain America, he and his team is responsible for taking out the rouge Nazi science division, Hydra.

In Marvel’s The Avengers (2012), Steve is coping with having missed 70 years. This is a prime example of how he is something of a tragic character. Steve has lost time, friends and loved ones, and his home in a way that none of the other Avengers can really relate to. He still proves himself to be the capable military leader, however, when he brings the team together against the Chitauri.

In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Steve exposes Hydra’s decades long infiltration into not only SHIELD, but other facets of government and politics worldwide. This is a huge blow for Steve, who thought he had sacrificed his life to bring an end to Hydra 70 years ago. He also learns the horrible truth about childhood friend and comrade, Bucky Barnes. Bucky, who was believed to have died while capturing Arnim Zola, was actually found and turned into a weapon. He’s spent the last 70 years being brainwashed, tortured, and experimented on.

That Bucky is alive is conflicting news for Steve. On the one hand, his best friend, the person who was closest to him (and a last remnant of home) is alive. On the other hand, it is heartbreaking that Bucky has spent the last seven decades under enemy control. There is guilt for not having searched for Bucky after he fell from the train in First Avenger. Steve is already someone who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, so he feels strongly that it’s his fault Bucky suffered (and continues to do so as he comes to terms with his actions as the Winter Solider).

(While I will forever maintain that there is something deeper than friendship between Steve and Bucky in the MCU, in the original comics, Bucky is Steve’s young sidekick. Comic Steve still feels guilt and grief over what happened to Bucky, but it’s more in the sense that he feels responsible for his young ward than the pain of losing the person closest to him. )

In Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Steve mentions his search for Bucky, but his main role and focus is as the leader of the Avengers. In Captain America: Civil War (2016), however, Steve’s actions are at the forefront and have massive consequences (not unlike Tony’s choices in Ultron). What is first a struggle between whether or not to sign the Sokovia Accords, essentially giving up his autonomy (something he had even during World War II), becomes a tug of war between his growing friendship and trust with Tony, and his longtime bond (and guilt) with Bucky. Steve not only chooses not to sign the Accords, but also takes Bucky’s side in the conflict, turning his back on Tony, the Avengers, and his responsibilities as their leader. Steve and Bucky find refuge in Wakanda, but as we learn in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Steve doesn’t stay while Bucky recovers. Instead, he and his team (including Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Sam Wilson/Falcon, and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch) become global fugitives (while Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Clint Barton/Hawkeye take a deal).

We don’t see Steve Rogers or his team again until Infinity War, where we are given a vague sense that they’ve been operating on their own, though what they’ve been doing is unclear. He is still welcomed back to Wakanda with open arms, and becomes sought out by Tony in response to Thanos’s impending attack. While Tony has been living his life as part of the Avengers and Stark Industries, developing or improving his relationships with Virginia “Pepper” Potts and Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Steve doesn’t seem to have any ties to life beyond being fugitive Captain America/Nomad.

With Infinity War being so crowded, we don’t get much from Steve beyond his role as a leader and someone still determined to do what is right. He briefly reunites with Bucky (who is significantly the first to be affected by Thanos’s snap), and when he reunited with the other Avengers and T’Challa/Black Panther he is looked to again for his talents as a tactician and leader. It’s exciting when he first steps out of the shadows in London to help Wanda and Vision and his reaction following the snap is something I think everyone in the audience could relate to, but we don’t get much of his emotional journey or what is going on with him, unlike some of the other characters.

The limited trailers for Avengers: Endgame suggest that Steve Rogers will play a much larger role, possibly to balance the focus placed on Tony Stark in Infinity War. One thing that has long been speculated about is the death of Steve Rogers, which occurs in the comics. Chris Evans’s contract was extended for Endgame, but he’s made it clear that this is really it for him, so I’m fairly certain that Steve Rogers will not make it out of “The Infinity Saga” alive. As I’ve said before, there isn’t much tying Steve to this world. Other Avengers have connections to the world outside of the fight (and the inevitable forthcoming resurrection), which gives them the possibility of a peaceful happy ending. And, while I continue to argue that there is something deeper between Steve and Bucky, the reality is that that has not been actively explored (nor is it likely to). With nothing official to facilitate a happy ending, and Evans’s insistence that this is Cap’s last outing, it will be hugely surprising if Steve survives. (Though I did recently read a theory that has Captain America and Black Widow leaving Earth to fight evil in space.)

Heading into Endgame in a few short weeks, I am eager to seeing how little the trailers have given away. This film will mark the end of an era, “The Infinity Saga” and I’m looking forward to Steve Rogers/Captain America making a truly heroic sacrifice and saving the day.

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