Avengers Endgame is why Tony Stark had to die.
How so? Well, let’s look at what the 22 part MCU Saga has been so far. A power fantasy for the rich elite even in a world of fantasy beyond their dreams. Yeah, it’s going to be one of those reviews.
Tony Stark is one of the most complex characters in the Marvel Cinematic and Comic Universe. It’s not only because of the Civil War, but because what Stark still represents. Even when he moves past being a weapons dealer, he starts to monopolize the superhuman arm race.
Even in Avengers, Stark is amplifying the future conflict by moving the action to New York, antagonizing SHIELD and leading a counter-attack in the middle of downtown NYC. How does he respond? Well, he uses his previous actions as the reason to launch Ultron. It’s super crazy, but there we go.
In the third and fourth Avengers films, we see a Stark knocked low and forced into retirement. Even then, that urge to design tools of war tug at his brain. The Stark fanboys will whine and cry about him building a suit of armor around the world. Endgame is a film about a man who couldn’t leave well enough alone.
The same goes for Thanos, but Stark feeds into this. Ultimately, Endgame is the tale of two men who can’t handle anyone else handling the talking stick. Their worlds are defined by their visions and everyone else is a speed bump to get to that point. Eventually, Stark can be pushed into thinking of others. Marvel movies don’t ask a lot for hero allegiance. Just don’t throw your kids off space cliffs and the world is cool with you.
The Blu-ray comes with the following special features.
- Remembering Stan Lee – Filmmakers and cast honor the great Stan Lee in a fond look back at his MCU movie cameos.
- Setting The Tone: Casting Robert Downey Jr. – Hear the tale of how Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Stark in the original “Iron Man” — and launched the MCU.
- A Man Out of Time: Creating Captain America – Trace the evolution of Captain America with those who helped shape the look, feel and character of this compelling hero.
- Black Widow: Whatever It Takes – Follow Black Widow’s journey both within and outside the Avengers, including the challenges she faced and overcame along the way.
- The Russo Brothers: Journey to Endgame – See how Anthony and Joe Russo met the challenge of helming two of the biggest films in cinematic history … back-to-back!
- The Women of the MCU – MCU women share what it was like to join forces for the first time in an epic battle scene — and be part of such a historic ensemble.
- Bro Thor – His appearance has changed but his heroism remains! Go behind the scenes to see how Bro Thor was created.
- Six Deleted Scenes – “Goji Berries,” “Bombs on Board,” “Suckiest Army in the Galaxy,” “You Used to Frickin’ Live Here,” “Tony and Howard” and “Avengers Take a Knee.”
- Gag Reel – Laugh along with the cast in this epic collection of flubs, goofs and gaffes from set.
- Visionary Intro – Intro by directors Joe and Anthony Russo.
- Audio Commentary – Audio commentary by directors Anthony and Joe Russo, and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.
The A/V Quality is as strong as expected. You get a 2.39:1 1080p transfer and a DTS-HD 7.1 master audio track. While I have an Atmos setup, the 7.1 mix comes to life for the grand finale at the destroyed Avengers HQ. Between Strange holding back the flood and the Thanos attack, you will feel the ending to this movie in your bones.
But, you’ll still have to rationalize it all away. The world is better without Tony Stark or Thanos. Even in the MCU, we’re approaching a time when humanity and its stronger heroes can save the day. What will the next phases look like without a weapon master’s escalation? I’m curious. For now, I’m going to watch Endgame.
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