Everyone should know of the Avengers Endgame movie by now. If, for some reason, you haven’t, beware. This article will spoil almost everything. It’s been the main talk all over the internet for the past couple weeks by succeeding on shaking its fan base to the core. To do this, they incorporated many unexpected plot twists, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. It’s important to take a deeper look into some of these unexpected turns, just so to better understand the movie and its underlying concepts. Another reminder: this article contains major spoilers!

Thanos’s Death
Everyone knew that the main plot of Endgame was the Avengers attempting to reverse Thanos’s actions from Infinity War. Most assumed that they would do this by battling the Titan in one last free-for-all. And while this is what happened within the first 20 minutes of the movie, it was underwhelming to many fans. The group corners Thanos on his home planet, ready to make things right. This time around, they have an advantage, with Captain Marvel at their side. However, once they have Thanos kneeling in front of them, arm decapitated by Thor’s Stormbreaker, they’re met with a nasty surprise. The Infinity Gauntlet was missing its main components, the Infinity Stones themselves. Thanos reveals the truth: he destroyed the Stones permanently, setting his actions in stone. In an explosion of rage, Thor whips his ax around, slashing off Thanos’s head, killing him. This surprised a good chunk of viewers, confused about how the movie would move from there. Killing off the main antagonist during the first hour makes sense later on. Throughout the rest of the movie, the antagonist morphs into many things, from a threat as big as Thanos himself to the Avengers themselves. It goes to prove that sometimes your worst enemy can be yourself.

2. Thor’s Decline
Ever since his debut in the first Thor movie, Chris Hemsworth has been loved by everyone. Many a “Celebrity Crush” have been put on him, exemplifying just how popular he is. For a lot of those, the main attribute was his Asgardian physique. Those fans must’ve been very disappointed to see where Thor has ended up now. Five years after the defeat of Thanos, Thor has collected the remaining Asgardian refugees and hid away in a remote seaside town called “New Asgard.” Bruce Banner and Scott Lang (Ant-Man) go there to retrieve him, having found a way to reverse ‘The Snap’. They find him in a downtrodden house, overweight and occupying his time with beer and video games. This seemed to be a big surprise since Thor is supposed to be the ‘strongest’ Avenger. Chris Hemsworth himself has called it ‘unexpected.’ However, there was meaning to this. Filmmakers have said that they used weight gain to symbolize Thor “giving up” on himself or simply “letting himself go.” After all, Thor has been through the worst: Failing his kingdom, his family, and his friends. His behavior of disconnecting from everyone around him reflects the depression he might feel after this.

3. Tony’s Sacrifice
In the end, concluding the epic showdown with Past Thanos, Iron Man wields the Infinity Gauntlet and snaps. This causes any threat of Thanos, past and present, to be erased. Since Stark is a simple human, the action inflicts a mortal wound on him. This, unfortunately, causes his death, striking a massive impact of the fan base. However, many fans were supportive of this decision, citing the fact that Stark has long been setting himself up on a road towards something bigger than himself. Throughout his movies, he has been characterized as self-centered, egotistic, and arrogant. While he was still viewed as a superhero, he wasn’t as ‘heroic’ as, say, Captain America, who is largely seen as moral and courageous. Stark’s sacrifice saves the entire world, including his own, newly-founded family. In ‘snapping’ and destroying Thanos and his army, Stark completed his arc. He proved to the audience that he’s much more than a philanthropist playboy. He’s someone who’s willing to put everything on the line for those he loves.

4. Passing On The Shield
In the end, with Thanos gone, Captain America is tasked with putting back all the Infinity Stones back in their correct places in history. He ventures back in time, expected back quickly. However, he never returns from his time mission. Standing around the time- pad, where he’s supposed to teleport back to, are Sam Wilson (Falcon), Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier), and Bruce Banner (Thor). They watch the pad, panic erupting when Captain America never returns. Suddenly, they can feel someone behind them and they all turn. Leaning against a tree is Steven Rogers himself, except he’s weathered with age. It’s later explained that while Rogers returned the Stones to their respective places, he never planned on coming back. Instead, he decided to stay back in history to grow old with the love of his life, Peggy Carter. He never got to have a full life with her since Rogers underwent the process of becoming Captain America. Now, since he’s old and grey, he can no longer hold the mantle of Captain America. Surprising, he gifts his longtime friend, Sam Wilson, with the role. As Rogers hands the shield to him, he ends his era. In passing the legacy along, it gives new prospect on what new plots will snake out it. With Rogers and Stark gone, Earth is missing two of its best defenders. Wilson is meant to fill that gap.