Dear Russo brothers,

It is the day of the Avengers: Endgame premiere, and I must say congratulations. Congratulations on successfully creating the biggest media franchise and superhero universe to ever hit the box office. It’s been quite amazing – watching the development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the front row in the movie theater each movie, year after year. I have seen nearly every Marvel movie since the release of the first Iron Man movie in 2008. I was seven at the time, and now I am 17. It has been a decade since the creation of 22 movies, hundreds of characters, beginnings, endings, backstories, heroes, villains, character development, and storylines – and it all culminates in 182 minutes of the Endgame.

I have no doubt that you two will deliver the finale that the world has so patiently awaited since Thanos’ snap nearly a year ago. Yet, a small part of me does not want to watch the conclusion, knowing that it will signify the ending of an era and bring the inevitable end to some of my favorite heroes. I’m not asking for them to be kept alive, because I know that part of the journey is the end. I only ask that the heroes receive the endings that they deserve – ones telling of the lives they lived, the wars they fought, and the people they loved.

Sure, fans love the story and the plot of every Marvel movie, and that keeps us coming back to the ticket office. But what is so enticing about the cinematic universe is the heroes and the villains. The unraveling of stories that we witness and become attached to. It is the pain of Killmonger’s childhood, the torment of Black Widow’s past, and the agony in Loki’s upbringing that keeps the audience coming back.

At the end of the day, the world needs heroes, not only to fight the battles that we never could, but to be the living, breathing, screaming reminders of the humanity in all of us – our flaws, our shortcomings, our failures, but most of all, our resilience and capacity to fight for what we believe in.

So thank you, for the creation of the past four Avengers movies. I have no doubt this one will live up to everything I’ve hoped for.

Sincerely,

A very dedicated Marvel fan