The Huge and Awful Mistake in Avengers: Endgame that Kind of Ruined the Movie for Me

First of all, hello!  It's been for-e-v-e-r since I've been on here.

Life and all, you know.

Glad to see this thing still works.

Second of all...


SPOILERS!!!!!!!

And we want to be careful about these things...

After all, we have been rather pointedly asked by the Russo brothers not to spoil the film...

So, in that vein...

SERIOUSLY!!!!  IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ENGAME YET AND YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED, MOVE ALONG!

This post will still be here after you've seen the movie.

So, go away, see the film, then come back and bask in my nerd rage.

Okay.  Hopefully only people who have seen the film or the strange people who don't mind being spoiled (I'm told they exist) are still with us at this point.

To begin, I'm kind of amazed I didn't write a massive nerd rage post about Man of Steel when it came out.  The anger I'm feeling tonight after Endgame reminds me of how I felt after I saw Man of Steel.  I hate when a character I love is completely and utterly against type in their movies.  As Superman was by killing Zod in Man of Steel (hopefully that didn't also need spoiler warnings, its been 6 years), and as Captain America, Steve Rogers is at the end of this film.

Allright, lets get to it (again... there be SPOILERS AHEAD!)

So, the film makes a bold move by deciding to keep the last five years as a reality - hard for all of those who were snapped, they are back, which is great, but five years younger than everyone who didn't get snapped? That's kind of messed up - and its half of the population dealing with that.

Why was this decision made? Because Tony felt that it would be impossible for him to give up the life he'd built in those five years. Presumably there are many other people who feel the same way. They had moved on, built something important for themselves in that five years. It was worth holding on to.

Tony, of course, being the only one left who could solve the time machine issue was in a unique position where he got to make that sort of decision, but it shows the importance of making that decision for yourself. Is it worth having part of your life erased or changed?

What Steve does at the end of the movie is that writ large. He changes Peggy's life. And he does it without her consent. There is no way Peggy back in 1945 can know what her life will be like with Steve gone. Of course that Peggy would be overjoyed to have him return.

But Steve knows that Peggy built an amazing life after he was gone. She tells him. Her niece Sharon tells him. He sees pictures of her freaking children that she had with another man.

And then he takes all of that away from her without her leave.

What really upsets me is that the movie acknowledges Agent Carter the series by having Jarvis from that show in the movie as Jarvis. The first and only time, by the way, that a Marvel tv series character has appeared in the movies. Plenty of the movie characters have appeared in the shows, but a character from the shows, and only from the shows, had never made an appearance in the movies until this moment when Jarvis makes his appearance with Howard Stark.

Then the movie erases every moment of Agent Carter from existence. Because none of that show happens if Steve is back. The events of that television series only exist with Steve believed dead. Peggy only becomes all the amazing and incredibly things that Peggy becomes by dealing with Steve being gone and recognizing and acting on the fact that she is every bit the hero Steve is/was.

She meets the love of her life after she gets over Steve. She has a family, including children.

She literally tells Steve that she is proud of and regrets none of her life during the scene from the picture above.  She tells him her only regret is that she wishes he could have had a life too, which as the Avengers movies go on, he is in the process of building.  But that doesn't excuse him for taking her life away from her.  Especially if she is unable to decide if that's what she wants or not.  And only old Peggy could make that decision.  And it seems pretty clear from the scene above, she wouldn't change a damn thing about her life.  Because it, like she herself, was freaking incredible

But none of that matters to Steve apparently, because he takes it all away from her without her able to make an informed decision about it. She is unable to give her consent.

That's an act that Steve Rogers would never commit. It is an incredibly selfish move.  An un-Captian America like move.  It represents a complete misunderstanding and betrayal of who the character is.

And I can't believe they had this movie end on that note.

Honestly, I'm kind of surprised not to see more people upset about this, because I immediately was angered by it.  And as I set through the end credits, I got more and more angry at this betrayal of Peggy, and this completely selfish and evil act by Steve.  I did however find someone who was worried this very thing might take place.  So, at least I know I'm not alone in my rage.

What do you think?  Agree/disagree/think I'm kind of right, but you're so happy for Steve and Peggy to end up together you don't care?  Let me know in the comments.

Josh Man

And By Hammer I Mean...

Marvel has done it again.

Along with Iron Man, Marvel Productions has proven that a hero doesn't have to be well known in order to be successful, because I guarentee you this movie will be successful.

The hero just needs to be in a fantastic film.

Like in Iron Man before it (and following in the footsteps of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and Christopher Nolan's Batman), the characters and the story matters.

This isn't a Michael Bay film tied together from Special Effect to Special Effect.  The plot and characters are well thought out and superbly drawn.

Part of what I wondered about Iron Man before it came out was how the character of Tony Stark would be received by a movie going audience.

Part of the strength of Marvel is in their character's weaknesses.  Unlike in DC where the weakness is often tied to the character's power, in Marvel the character's weaknesses are actually tied to their character.  Tony Stark is a womanizing, egotistical drunk.

Robert Downey Jr. portrays those traits while at the same time walking a fine line (that is more difficult than he makes it appear) keeping the character extremely likable despite his faults.

In Chris Hemsworth, Marvel has again found a perfect actor for a part.  Hemsworth (basically an unknown before Joss Whedon helped him land this role, and Hemsworth has paid him back by getting Cabin in the Woods released due to his sudden popularity) is able to make the arrogant, all powerful Norse God Thor completely charming and likable without losing the arrogance and power.  Like Downey Jr., it is an amazing performance, but where we might have expected it from Downey Jr., it is an incredible surprise from Hemsworth.  He has quite a future ahead of him.  He can flat act.

Everyone else in the film is spot on as well.

And as we should have expected, Brannagh's direction is flawless.

The visuals are amazing, and the 3D incredibly natural.

A friend pointed out that there are a few cliched moments in the story, but they didn't bother me at all, perhaps because they felt more archetypal to me rather than cliched.  After all, Thor is quite an archetypal character.  I will just say that I feel like the moments work.

Like Iron Man, this is a film first, a comic book movie second (something that is harder to achieve than you might think, Iron Man 2 did not achieve the same success, it was a wonderful Comic Book movie, but not a great film). 

If Marvel continues to focus on story and character, while also remaining able to pander to the hardcore comic book fans, things are only going to get better as this world (nay, this universe) continues to come together.

Until Next Time, it is clear that my Top Ten Comic Book Super Hero Movies of All Time list has a new occupant.

Marvel TV

In my post from a couple of days ago, I looked at what DC should focus on for their next live action television show, having been inspired in part by the troubling news from the new Wonder Woman show and in part by a fantastic post on his blog from my friend Chad.

Never one to ignore the larger world, I don't want to talk about what DC comic book character would make a great television hero (or heroine) without also looking at Marvel.

There was a rumor in October/November that ABC would have a new Incredible Hulk series next season, and I would totally be okay with that.

With the Disney purchase of Marvel, and Disney also owning ABC, there is definitely a possibility of more Marvel characters getting a shot at a television series.  Which could be a good thing.

So, other than Incredible Hulk, what would be the Marvel series that I really want to see?

Honestly, my dream would be a show that I call Marvel Universe.

There are a ridiculous number of Marvel characters, and in the comics (and what they are attempting to do in the current movies) they are very interconnected.  I would love a show that could tell stories from just one superhero one week, a different superhero the next week, and a story combining many superheroes and ongoing stories the week after that.

I would love a season that spent time on everyone's origins, leading up to the storyline portrayed in Civil War.

Simply put, this would be an epic and awesome television show.

And clearly impossible for a live action television show, even when you have the money that Disney does.

This, like the Green Lantern Corps show I looked at for DC, would probably have to be an animated show, and I guarantee I would watch every episode, even if it were an animated show.

My all time favorite comic book character is probably Spider-Man.  I have always identified with Peter Parker better than any other super-hero.

There was a short-lived Spider-man television show at the end of the seventies.  It just ran for two seasons and 14 episodes, but I saw the episodes and began to have a love for the character that would continue to grow.

There have been quite a few excellent animated Spiderman shows, including the recent Spectacular Spider-Man which sadly got canceled.

Effects are probably at a point where a live-action Spiderman show could be possible and, let's face it, amazing (no pun intended, referring to the primary comic title The Amazing Spider-Man).

But, saying Spiderman is really too easy.

So let's delve a little deeper into the Marvel character list to find the perfect Marvel television show.

My choice would be Luke Cage in the show Heroes for Hire.

Luke Cage (born Carl Lucas) was imprisoned for a crime that he didn't commit.  While in prison, he agreed to be part of an experiment (based on the same serum that gave Captain America his powers) that was supposed to lessen his ability to get sick, but gave him near impervious skin and superhuman strength instead.

He broke out of prison and sets himself up as a sort of mercenary superhero.

Originally, the character was created to cash in on the blaxploitation trend of the 70s, but I believe that Cage is capable of being much more than that.

It is a strong character that sets up for a great weekly series.

Cage sets himself up as a hero for hire, a mercenary superhero, looking to cash in on his new found super abilities, and yet in the process becomes a hero in truth.

Tell me that isn't a show that is set up for some good character development and excellent drama!

Although I didn't talk about casting in the DC post, I can't help but put forth a name for Luke Cage.

Personally, I would want to see Idris Elba (Stringer Bell in the HBO program The Wire) take on the mantle of the Hero for Hire.

Tell me that wouldn't work!

Until Next Time, what Marvel or DC shows would you love to see on the air?