We are only a few short weeks away from the premiere of Avengers: Endgame. And as the release date approaches and we reach the end of this journey, we want to look back on everything that brought us here: the heroes we watched struggle, grow, and save humanity over the last ten years, and our favorite moments of their stories.
We will be going through each phase in order, covering every movie leading up to April 26.
Next up on our list is Avengers. Released in 2012, this was the first time we’d seen Earth’s mightiest heroes assembled in one film.
This movie was the first effort to unite the heroes who had been introduced in the previous movies with some of the new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While we had met Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers and Thor as well as Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, this film was the first that showed fans another famous Avenger – Clint Barton as Hawkeye.
The Avengers Initiative, introduced by Nick Fury and Agent Coulson, is called into action when Earth is threatened by an alien invasion, courtesy of Thor’s brother, Loki. Coincidentally, this is also the film that sets up more of the story line about the Infinity Stones, the thread that holds all the movies together and that unwinds in the events of Infinity War. This is the movie that made a lot of people fans of the Marvel films, probably due to the fact that it’s more than a basic superhero story line of “this villain is trying to destroy the world, we have to fight”; rather, it gives the audience a variety of strong, stubborn, and powerful characters, such as Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man, who all struggle when it comes to teaming up, finding compromises, and even agreeing on what the cause of the fight is.
In my opinion, the dynamic between the characters is what makes Avengers a special movie, because it gives the fans an insight into the characters they had previously only gotten to know in their own context and story. In Avengers, Tony Stark’s ego collides with Thor’s super strength as well as Steve Roger’s moral compass. It shows companionship between old friends in the relationship between Clint and Natasha and additionally, it also adds to the brotherly conflict between Thor and his adopted brother Loki.
Of course, this is not only a serious movie. Like many Marvel films, this one lives from its one-liners, quick-witted characters, and humorous situations. If I had to pick one of my favorite exchanges, it’s Tony’s arrival at the “fight scene” between Captain America and Thor, which gave us so many iconic lines. My favorite scenes, however, are the different confrontations between Loki and the Avengers, especially the one with Natasha, where she beats him at his own game. – Conny
Avengers did a great job pulling all the movies and characters before it together into a somewhat cohesive group. However, they went a lot deeper, foreshadowing a lot of the future, when Bruce Banner says “I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We’re a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We’re … we’re a time-bomb.”
This team, the Avengers come from all over time and space to fight the bigger fight. We see Loki come and fight against Earth’s heroes, while his brother Thor tries to stop him, and we learn that there is a much bigger threat looming. Hawkeye and Natasha give us a good look into their skill sets and relationship with each other and Nick Fury, and we learn more about Tony Stark’s history with Captain America. Dr. Bruce Banner is understandably weary because of his alter-ego, The Hulk; however, he joins them to fight at the end.
It’s very difficult to choose one favorite moment in the movie, but after thinking about it, I have to go with Tony intercepting the nuke and then flying it into the wormhole. Tony Stark was accused of being narcissistic and egotistical. However, he did that, knowing that it would be a one way trip and that he probably wouldn’t survive. Marvel’s most “selfish” superhero did not hesitate to put his life on the line to keep the people in the city safe; he chose to show us the true selflessness of a hero that valued the life of others and his teammates. He is also completely alone, a theme that carries through the MCU with regards to Tony Stark — alone and bearing witness to the very real threat facing Earth. This is a powerful example of why Tony Stark is Earth’s Greatest Defender. – Nicole
How do I choose favorite moments in what I consider to be one of the best movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Avengers is a perfect combination of humor, action, and emotion. There are so many characters that it would be very easy for one or more to get lost in the crowd. But instead, each Avenger is spotlighted and then shown to work together as a unit. They have their missteps, sure. These characters aren’t used to working as a part of a team, and that comes with challenges. But in the end, they work like a well-oiled machine.
Many of my favorite parts include Loki. Tom Hiddleston’s performance of the trickster God (and primary antagonist for the film) is truly brilliant. He manages to capture power, humor, and the power of manipulation in a way that still inspires empathy for him at the end. Particularly, I do love when he crashes the party as a distraction and to get the retinal scan, so Barton and Loki’s other minions can steal the iridium needed to stabilize the tesseract. The retinal scan is needed, but the way Loki causes the chaos in the distraction, and his short monologue to the crowd there, will always be a favorite part for me. The old man’s follow up to that speech just makes the moment even better.
Another favorite moment for me is when Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America fight in the forest. This is one of those scenes that really sets up who these characters are, just in case you haven’t seen their origin movies. And it does that amazingly well.
After those moments, this movie is full of fabulous one-liners — little great moments that stick with us long after we’ve finished the movie. From Tony’s comment that “His name is Agent” in regards to Phil Coulson, to Hawkeye’s conversation with Black Widow and how they “remember Budapest very differently,” these are references and jokes that have permeated my everyday life. – Heather
The team is finally together! Some of our Marvel favorites are all in one movie to save the planet from Loki. I think that this movie was fantastic in its comedy, action, and those serious moments that have our hearts stopping. I really enjoyed Tony Stark in this movie, because he might be the one with the most resistance against the “team” part of the Avengers, but in the end, it was him aiming the missile into space and losing consciousness, in order to save so many lives. My favorite part of the movie is where Loki is meeting Tony in his penthouse, and the Hulk ends up throwing him around like a doll. – Kailey
Stay tuned as we look back on all our favorite moments from the Marvel Universe as we anticipate what lies ahead for our heroes in Avengers: Endgame.
And be sure to check out the rest of this series here!