Avengers: Endgame is now here, and it’s only a matter of time before you’ll have seen it too. If you’re one of the lucky ones who has already seen it, then you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about in this list. And if you happen to not have seen the film yet, then be warned with a Spoiler Alert!
Avengers: Infinity War took the MCU to heights never seen before, and a lot of the things we saw in that film were extremely difficult to top. However, that doesn’t mean those were impossible to better, and Avengers: Endgame did just that in a number of areas.
Here are 10 of the things Endgame was better at compared to Infinity War. Once again, here’s your Spoiler Alert!
Finishing Up The Banner/Hulk Situation
Thor: Ragnarok kicked off the arc with Hulk and Banner, where neither of the two could settle with the body they shared. This continued with Avengers: Infinity War, where Banner realized he did need the Hulk to fight, but left it unclear as to exactly what the deal was.
Avengers: Endgame gave us the conclusion of the relationship between these two by combining them into the “Professor Hulk” persona. It’s a little weird that Banner’s cool with staying in the body of the Hulk, but at least there’s no more speculation where these two stand, which was what Infinity War left us thinking about the whole time.
Pepper And Tony’s Relationship
The only thing we saw of Pepper and Tony in Avengers: Infinity War was them going for a jog, and the relationship was painfully underrepresented as we didn’t know what their status was since their reconciliation in Spider-Man: Homecoming was sudden.
Avengers: Endgame gave us a proper resolution to their relationship by showing how, despite the universe being shattered in half, these two would still start a family together. Their story was given the justice it deserved, as we saw them reunite, be together, and unfortunately end apart. Their love might be over, but at least its status isn’t up in the air as it was in Infinity War.
Importance Of The Original Six
The original six, unfortunately, weren’t shown to be as chummy and loving together as fans had hoped, but their importance was at least shown this time around. Avengers: Infinity War had most of their screentime be very short (or in Hawkeye’s case, be totally ignored), which left us wanting more for them since they were the original crew.
Avengers: Endgame might have split them up eventually, but it did make it clear that these six were the most important to the Avengers story after all, as all of them had big and vital parts to play to beat Thanos.
The Final Battle
The final battles of Avengers: Infinity War were epic on their own, but they were “battles” after all, and not one huge fight. Avengers: Endgame gave us that climactic showdown we all knew was coming, and wanted to see most of all.
Infinity War chose to separate all the characters in two battles, which meant it wasn’t as grand or “final” as we’d have liked. With Endgame’s final fight, we had a truly epic shot with all the heroes from the entire 22-film arc standing against Thanos in what was certain to be the fight for the entire universe. And that’s how you complete a saga.
Closure And Direction For Several Characters
When we left everyone in Avengers: Infinity War, we knew nothing of where they would go in the future – everyone’s status was either deceased or stranded with no direction. Although Avengers: Endgame swerved expectations by not providing closure with every character, it did do that with some of them.
More importantly, it provided us with an idea of where the characters will be going. For heroes like Iron Man and Captain America, we were given a definitive end; something that will never be changed. For other heroes like Thor, we have a clue where he could show up next. If the stars align just right, he’ll next be seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This goes the same for heroes like Black Panther and Doctor Strange, who left us with hints of things to come.
Long-Lasting Ramifications
Here’s where the characters who weren’t given closure come into play. Since Vision wasn’t resurrected as some thought, it would mean his death in Avengers: Infinity War now has long-term ramifications.
While Infinity War was the film where Vision and Gamora (who wasn’t resurrected either) died, it was Avengers: Endgame which gave us the confirmation that their deaths will have a bearing on future series or films. The WandaVision show now has a premise to watch out for, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has more intrigue since we want to see how Gamora might come back. Deaths in Avengers: Infinity War didn’t have those long-term impacts, but Endgame’s decision not to resurrect them certainly will.
Tear-Jerking Moments
Nobody’s saying Avengers: Infinity War didn’t have moments where you wouldn’t want to shed tears; however, Avengers: Endgame just did it a lot better. It was expected, too, since this film is supposed to be the final one in the 22-film saga.
But the tear-jerking moments were just on another level compared to Infinity War as the losses this time were permanent – and the ones lost were just so much more treasured. You would’ve thought the Thanos snap scene couldn’t be topped in terms of emotional turmoil, but Iron Man and Black Widow’s sacrifice and Captain America’s fate easily beat the former.
Having An Actual Ending
When the final two Avengers films were announced, they were originally named Infinity War: Parts I & II, and it was clear why, as Infinity War was clearly just the first half while Endgame was the finale. The ending of the previous film – which the directors still insist is a complete film on its own – was a cliffhanger, and fans were made to wait a year to see what happened.
So, it’s quite obvious why Avengers: Endgame betters Infinity War in the ending department, seeing as the former actually has an ending as opposed to a cliffhanger which was never meant to be a definite end to the story.
End Credits
Marvel Cinematic Universe movies’ presentation is such that everyone not only waits for the after-credits scenes, they also sit through the credits themselves as they are almost always gorgeously made. We use the word “almost” because Avengers: Infinity War’s credits were a complete bore as they were on an all-black background with a somber tone.
Avengers: Endgame made the credits much better by having an appearance of every character who had been in the series, and then ending with the original six’s signatures. It capped it all off with Robert Downey Jr’s image, signifying that he was the one who deserved the most praise for kicking everything off with 2008’s Iron Man. This was way better than having to sit through a dull, dark background with nothing to see.
Nod To Earlier Films
Avengers: Infinity War brought the characters from the previous films together, but fans didn’t need to watch most of the MCU films to understand what was going on; this undermined previous films to a degree.
Avengers: Endgame was excellent in this regard in that it ensured it covered all the bases, and took the audience back to previous films to showcase their importance. All in all, we were taken back to the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World, and Guardians of the Galaxy. The ending even saw the return of Tony’s kid sidekick from Iron Man 3, which meant that, unlike Infinity War, Endgame looked to embrace the impact the earlier movies had.