A Potpourri of Vestiges Feature
By Dev Gupta
“This is it”, said Tony Stark in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR with reference
to Thanos’ impending attack. He could have easily used the proclamation to
declare the arrival of the ENDGAME; because this really is it - The biggest
pop-culture event in History; the culmination of a decade’s worth of impatient
anticipations and zealous exhilaration. Above all, it’s the culmination of a
heartfelt journey and it won’t be an exaggeration to say that a generation grew
up with these films! That makes AVENGERS: ENDGAME so much more than just a film
- It is a closure to what has been an intrinsic part of a lot of people’s
lives; and when the end credits started to roll, I found myself left with this
agonizing sense of emptiness, a feeling of having lost something precious from
my life. Nevertheless, what towers over this feeling of sorrow, is a cathartic
influx of unbound joy for having been a direct participant in the celebration
of these inter-connected films, while they unfolded. Decades later, when people
watch the saga, they would travel back in time to this era; but I can gleefully
say that I was there when Tony Stark stood on a dais and said, “I am Ironman”,
and I was there when he said it again in ENDGAME! I was there to experience the
ambition of Joss Whedon’s first Avengers movie, I was there to watch Taika
Waititi’s wacky take on Thor and Hulk, I saw James Gunn turn a Raccoon and a
humanoid tree into roaring crowd favourites, I rejoiced when a scrawny Steve
Rogers turned into the muscular Captain America, I clapped like a toddler when
Spiderman snatched Captain’s shield, I saw the mysticism of Dr. Strange, I
cherished Tony’s fatherly affection for Peter Parker, I discovered Wakanda, I
marveled at Carol Denvers’ superpowers; and in their victories, of makers,
actors, films and characters alike, I felt the victory of nerds all over the
world!
It is public knowledge that Marvel will continue to make films, there
are going to be newer Avenger teams, quite a few years down the line, they
might reboot it all; but this feeling of discovery, of realizing that Ironman,
Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow could all be brought
together in one film and the feeling of living with these characters for over a
decade can never be replicated again; because the INFINITY SAGA will always be
the first of its kind. So wrapping up the saga with anything even slightly
underwhelming would have been criminal; but one can indubitably say that
ENDGAME is the perfect climax that this series of intricately interlinked films
and these larger than life heroes deserved. A highly rewarding, albeit
bitter-sweet ending to a long and exciting journey.
What made this journey all the more satisfying, were the lucidly well
developed characters. The plots, the battle sequences, the CGI, were all
crafted with great care and precision; but in the queue for being granted the
uppermost significance, everything stood behind the deservedly overpowering
characters; and we continued to get film after film with characters that we
could relate to, look up to, get miffed with, lament for, rejoice with and most
importantly, unabashedly love. While every MCU character has something of value
to offer, I personally feel that Tony Stark and Steve Rogers are the greatest
heroes of not just the MCU, but of our times. Between them, they stood for the
right as well as the not so right, the Establishments as well as the Citizens,
for might as well as frailty and for anger as well as love. Strip down their
powers, and one would find two of the most flawed yet moral human beings. They
represented the limitations of humanity; and that made their powers even more
enjoyable to behold. ENDGAME is their film, and rightfully so. While I have
always enjoyed and appreciated the work of Chris Evans as Captain America,
Robert Downey Jr has been my most adored artist from the saga. He epitomized
the brilliant casting decisions that the good folks at Marvel have always
taken. For most superheroes, the alter egos mean precious little without their
respective superhero versions. However, Tony Stark was as much interesting, if
not more, than his armoured saviour avatar. This could only have happened
because of the charisma and the razor sharp performances of RDJ. Again, it
fills me with joy knowing that the story of Tony Stark as enacted by RDJ
unfolded neither before, nor after my time. He was created for me and for many
other devoted fans all over the world and we shall all continue to talk about
and celebrate the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist right till we
are all too old to even remember our own names!
Watch our video review of Avengers: Endgame
Marvel can make another
character don the Ironman suit, they can get another actor to play Tony Stark,
but RDJ as Tony will never happen again, and that makes the INFINITY SAGA all
the more unique. What’s commendable is that right till the very last minutes of
ENDGAME, the makers stayed true to the character of Tony Stark and his story
arc (Pun intended). The awe-inspiring action set pieces in the film (People are
going to lose their minds when Captain America finally gets to say, “Avengers,
assemble!”), which if I may add, will stay unmatched for a very long time for
its sheer scale and audacity; the sensational narrative with its heady mixture
of sci-fi and magic, Alan Silvestri’s goosebumps inducing background score and
the phenomenal CGI worked very well in unison; but what worked best for the
film was the way the characters of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers managed to find
closure. This showed that Marvel cares about its characters and cares about the
fact that we, the fans, care deeply about those characters too.
11 years and 22 films later, I can say sans any doubt that living this
experience was and will always be extremely special and gratifying. So despite
the heavy heart, I should like to thank Marvel for bringing joy, celebration
and hope to this much troubled world. Thank you Kevin Feige, thank you Jon
Favreau, thank you Joss Whedon, thank you Joe and Anthony Russo, thank you
Chris Evans and from the bottom of my heart, thank you Robert Downey Jr and
thank you Stan Lee. This was a nonpareil journey; and like the Avengers
throughout their own journeys, your fans will always assemble!
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
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