Well, I saw it on May 4th. It was a very good, but, as expected, also very heart-wrenching final chapter. I always hated how much emphasis was placed on Iron Man, and why he could possibly be so likeable with such a massive ego, but when Civil War came out and I began to really see where this character was headed, he began to grow on me. I still think Captain America should have been the hero on which they placed the most emphasis, but, even so, I was actually excited to see how Iron Man's story would end. The foreshadowing that occurred during Tony's conversation with Howard when he and Cap traveled back to 1970 made me realize what they were probably going to do, but that foreshadowing nonetheless did nothing to better prepare me for Iron Man's final scene. After being so annoyed with the character for such a long time, the Russo Brothers finally made me care about Tony...and his death really kicked me in the gut, despite it being the best possible ending to his character.
Speaking of which...they did the same thing with Black Widow. Those jerks. There was no better way to complete her character arc, but...my gosh...that kicked me in the gut too...maybe even harder than Tony's death because of the tragic, irreversible nature of her sacrifice, coupled with experiencing the event through Hawkeye's perspective. That was a really haunting moment for me when he opened his hand to find the Soul Stone inside. Perfect ending to Natasha's journey, but...man...
I'm still a bit torn when it comes to Thor's character arc. I mean, I get it; he only became recently popular, and for that reason they want to continue to use his character in the future to draw in the money. But, with Endgame being the ending to the story of the original six Avengers...I would have just preferred that Thor experienced some kind of redemption or rise from the darkness after losing so much in Ragnarok and Infinity War, ending with him finally taking his place as king of New Asgard, as has been intended since the first Thor movie. Then again, in a video I watched recently, it was pointed out to me that, just as his mother counseled when they traveled back to 2013 Asgard, Thor has spent so long trying to live up to everyone else's expectations that he hasn't allowed himself to truly discover or cultivate his own identity. The Thor we've come to know is majorly the product of Odin's own expectations...so, I guess he needs to come to terms with his failure and then discover something about himself while with the Guardians of the Galaxy before he can truly be king...or something.
Hulk's arc was interesting...I mean, it works, but I felt it could have been executed a little better. I think the fusing of Banner's fragmented psyche should have occurred more gradually, rather than it just occurring off-screen during the five-year time jump and then being explained to us. There should have been some expounding on the struggle between Banner and Hulk during Infinity War, including getting to the route of the problem. Then, at that point, the two seemingly separate "identities" could become one, thus giving us Professor Hulk.
I also think he deserved a rematch against Thanos.
Now for my favorite character, Captain America...
His ending was great. Not really any complaints, here. Although, to be honest, I actually kind of enjoyed modern-world Captain America, and I felt like an equally satisfying arc would have ended with him being able to accept his place in the modern age, followed by him passing on the shield before settling down, as per Tony's advice, with Sharon Carter. It would have worked, in my opinion; Steve has spent so much time dwelling on the way that things used to be back in the past that he simply can't move on. Finally getting over the past (including getting over Peggy) and settling down with Sharon would have been just as good an ending. But, going back in time to spend his life with Peggy, growing old, and passing the shield on after he had lived his life was fine too. And, within the context of Endgame, that ending made more sense anyways; Cap keeps telling everyone to move on from "the Snap," even though he himself can't move on from his own past; then he, like the rest of the universe, finally gets back what he was essentially robbed of in the end. Well, either way was great with me, and I'm glad that one of the two endings actually happened.
Chris Evans had more chemistry with Hayley Atwell than Emily Vancamp anyways. Maybe Sharon will end up with Sam Wilson instead.