It has been over a month since the battle. The battle for the fate of the universe. No, I am not talking about Game of Thrones (I have no clue what the show is about anyway). I am talking about Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Endgame" (2019). It is strange to live in a post-endgame world as I dubbed it. It seems just like yesterday "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) came out in theaters.

Where I and a bunch of other individuals laughed and cried as our favorite heroes perished. Luckily according to a website, I survived the snap so when Endgame rolled around, I was ready. I grew up with these characters. I was that eight-year-old dragged to the movies back in 2008 to see the first "Iron Man". The Avengers were not the only ones fighting to save the universe, I was too. And now I finally feel like it's time I can discuss "Avengers: Endgame". I'll try to be semi-vague, but I will go into some spoiler stuff. Turn back now if you haven't seen Endgame.

So I saw it Thursday night with my Mod mate Brad and a couple of his friends. We went to the Athena Grand in town and got the 6:20 pm showing. We paid for tickets before, so we didn't have to wait in line. I was ready for this event, So ready that I even bought an Avengers hoodie off of Amazon. The design was like the ones they wore in the movie and people were loving it. Upon exiting the Athena Grand, a huge line was outside waiting to see Endgame. A guy called out and said my jacket was "sick." Totally worth the $80.00.

Marc Anthony Brown

Now on to the film itself. The movie is that standard old school marvel goodness. While Infinity War is the better-made film and part of the story, with its simpler plot and much larger ensemble, Endgame, in my opinion, wrapped up the Avengers story wonderfully. The film pays a lot of homage to the last eleven years of MCU movies. For example, there were a lot of cameos from different side characters from over the years like Robert Redford's character Alexander Pierce or Frank Grillo's character Crossbones. Not only were there a ton of characters reprising their roles, but there were also a ton of callbacks to classic MCU lines. The infamous "On your left" between Falcon and Captain America or the iconic "I am Iron Man" line.

The film felt fast-paced for its three-hour runtime. The first act is dedicated to showcasing how the world is managing in a "post-snap" world. I really appreciate the Russo Brothers' commitment to keeping character moments in the film and not just have one action piece after another. Some standout Avengers in this film that I appreciated were Thor (Chris Hemsworth), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Ronin/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). A lot of these characters don't get a lot of love in their other respective films, but I found myself loving the path these characters went down. Without getting into too many spoilers let's just say they were the real MVPs of Endgame; Especially the acting from Jeremy Renner. When THAT scene happened near the end of the second act of the film, I felt that emotion in his argument with the other Avengers. Hawkeye is the butt-end of a lot of jokes, but this film hopefully nips it in a butt for now. At least until his new Disney+ series comes out.

There is so much more to talk about this film that I don't know where to continue from here. Well, possibly our best bet is to just continue to the second act. So, the Avengers have to time travel to collect the infinity stones in order to attempt to reverse the snap. The locations the screenwriters picked were excellent selections and felt like an old time travel flick like Back to the Future. I've seen people online criticize how time travel works in this universe and I just look at them like that meme of the confused guy. Basically, in the simplest way possible to explain: Our lives are one straight path and when we "go back in time" to an event in the past we are not going to our exact past instead we are going to a semi-alternate universe of our past. Any actions done in that time period do not affect yourself or any outcomes in your timeline. That's the best way I can describe it without pictures, so I encourage people to understand this before watching the Time Travel stuff again.

Director Joe Russo (Right) talking with Chris Hemsworth (Left) https://twitter.com/mcu_direct?lang=en

Now the final act. OMG THAT FINAL ACT. I DO NOT WANT TO SAY ANYTHING!! So much fan service and homage to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe took place in that act. The first time watching Endgame I was just in shock. Like literally, I felt like I was in shock. The second time watching Endgame at home I was sobbing in my seat when THEY showed up. I felt like a kid again in the most wonderful way possible and what followed after that with the epilogue, phew I was a mess. Like I said I am not going to say anything. If you're on the fence about seeing Endgame: (1) Watch some of the other Marvel movies first and (2) Watch just for that final act.

In conclusion, there is a lot I can talk about and will talk about with "Avengers: Endgame" in the coming weeks. This cinematic Universe is more than just some summer blockbuster films. This is history; film history and I am so grateful to have been a part of this since the beginning in 2008. People coming out of Endgame are all confused asking: "What do I do now?" And I only have one response: Watch the sun rise on a grateful universe.