This article contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.

In 2008, Marvel Studios introduced Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr.) to the world. Little did we know, this was the start to something much bigger, something that would blow it away (pun intended).

Since Iron Man’s release to today, 22 movies have been released by Marvel, all within the same universe. On April 26, Marvel Studios brought an end to their biggest franchise, the Avengers.

Avengers: Endgame became the  movie with the most presale tickets in history and broke most box office records, making 1.2 billion dollars in its first weekend.

Endgame had wildly high expectations, especially being the last installment in the Avengers series and the fact that it follows, Avengers: Infinity War’s earth-shattering ending. Endgame lived up to every expectation put on it.

The three-hour movie is so compelling, it is hard to have a sense of time. My emotions went haywire throughout the movie; one second I was laughing and the next, my heart was dropping.

The focus of the movie is based on the original six avengers, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Iron Man (Downey Jr.)

The movie opens with the characters who survived the infamous Thanos snap, dealing with the grief of losing their loved ones and the denial that comes with it. With vengeance on their mind, they go on a chase to find Thanos and put an end to him, which Thor does within the first 20 minutes. At this moment, the story we think we are going to get is thrown out the window.

After a five-year time jump, Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) returns from the quantum realm in complete shock and proposes the idea of time travel, suddenly hope makes an appearance. Iron Man, who now has a daughter and is happily married to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), is hesitant towards the plan, but pushing his safety and personal happiness out of the way, he accepts.

A whirlwind of time travel ensues as the Avengers gear up to gather the Infinity Stones reverse the ending of Infinity War.

Ignoring inconsistencies with the timeline, such as the age of certain characters, and some character flaws that do not align with the other movies, the positives outweigh the negatives.

My biggest criticism is the destruction of my favorite character, Thor, taking him from a strong-willed king to a chubby, nervous wreck that relinquishes his crown.

While time traveling, we are transported to movies in the past such as Captain America: Winter Soldier. It is pleasantly nostalgic as the characters meet their past selves and adds a sense of humor.

The anticipated battle scene is epic, featuring every character introduced in the universe. The theater cheered and clapped as the characters who ‘died’, came back to fight together one last time with the Avengers theme song playing the background.

A smile unknowingly made its way onto my face and suddenly, I was able to predict the beginning of the end.

Captain America yelling “Avengers Assemble” struck old chords, connecting back to the past movies in the franchise, giving us a sense of pride for one last time.

The deaths, which are debatably unnecessary, I thought came at the perfect time and are justified for the plot.

Black Widow and Iron Man came to an honorable conclusion. There is foreshadowing leading up to their deaths with considerable amounts of sentiment placed around both characters, with Iron Man having everything he ever wanted, a family and Black Widow coming to terms with her fate.

They fulfill their roles as their personalities come full circle, completing their character arc and making their deaths upsetting but satisfying.

Evans’s character also reaches full circle as he returns to the past to be with his first love, Margaret Carter (Hayley Atwell) and grows old with her.

Thor will continue to serve in the MCU as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Hawkeye returns to his family. Hulk comes to terms with his human side and his monster side.

Overall, the ending is poetic in every aspect, concluding it with characters who started it all and giving us a little taste of what is to come.

Follow Anika @AnikaArutla