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Avengers: Endgame
Major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame behind the cut.
Normally I post emotional reaction reviews first, but I'm still processing, I think. I can say that I've never before watched a movie that simultaneously delighted me so much (so much fanservice! I kept thinking "this is for me, this is for me, this is for me!) and infuriated me so much (see especially Natasha's death, and Thor's whole arc. Actually, I will say my initial reaction to Natasha's death--which I was completely unprepared for--was "fuck this, they better be killing all of the original six or I will burn this theater down). For both Doylist reasons (Hawkeye has a damn Disney show so it couldn't be him) and Watsonian reasons (it fit very well with her overall emotional arc in the film) I understand it, but I reject that reality.
But that's not actually what I want to talk about. I want to talk about time travel and the movie, and where the ending leaves Steve/Bucky and other shippers.
Part of me is so so happy at the idea that Steve and Peggy end up together--it's a happy ending I never expected! I ship them so hard! It made me tear up when I was actually watching it. And I read through a bunch of passionate debates on ffa last night as to whether he married her in an alternate universe or whether it was a closed time loop, and given how MANY different time travel theories were trotted out in the film, I think we actually get to choose, and ethically I would have to say Steve chose the alternate universe (I can headcanon him having a long conversation with the Ancient One when he goes to return the time stone so he knows what he's doing isn't going to disrupt the original universe), because I literally cannot imagine a Steve Rogers just hiding in the shadows for 70 or however many years letting Bucky suffer and letting Hydra grow within SHIELD, so as far as I'm concerned he created a parallel reality where he and Peggy save Bucky and they have a three-way marriage and root out Hydra and basically create a much better reality. (World War Threesome is actually my favorite favorite favorite ship of many in the MCU, so I really hope this does inspire a lot of fic.)
True, this still leaves original Bucky along (and also frozen Steve frozen), but you know, there are multiple potential fixes for that: bring frozen Steve into this reality for Bucky; have the Bucky in the original universe hook up with Sam (they definitely seemed much more buddy-buddy in this film than they had in the past, which makes me think that while Peter Parker might have been unconscious while dusted, other people still might have had a soul stone existence and formed relationships there); have original Bucky actually be in love with Natasha and have Steve get Natasha back when he returns the soul stone; have original Bucky somehow be connected to the alternate timeline (he seemed to kind of know what Steve was going to do, just based on his parting words and facial expressions? Maybe time traveling Steve stopped by Wakanda and had a theoretical conversation with him?)
Also, if they can bring Gamora forward from the past, why not Natasha? Though the time travel dynamics in this whole film really make my head hurt. Like, bringing Gamora forward kind of works because she never really died because Thanos never got any of the stones, and he can't time travel himself to fix anything because it was the Thanos of 7 years ago who died at the end, so he never did get any of the stones, but surely that must be a multiverse rather than a closed loop, right? Argh. It really doesn't matter to me except insofar as how we can fix it as fans.
Normally I post emotional reaction reviews first, but I'm still processing, I think. I can say that I've never before watched a movie that simultaneously delighted me so much (so much fanservice! I kept thinking "this is for me, this is for me, this is for me!) and infuriated me so much (see especially Natasha's death, and Thor's whole arc. Actually, I will say my initial reaction to Natasha's death--which I was completely unprepared for--was "fuck this, they better be killing all of the original six or I will burn this theater down). For both Doylist reasons (Hawkeye has a damn Disney show so it couldn't be him) and Watsonian reasons (it fit very well with her overall emotional arc in the film) I understand it, but I reject that reality.
But that's not actually what I want to talk about. I want to talk about time travel and the movie, and where the ending leaves Steve/Bucky and other shippers.
Part of me is so so happy at the idea that Steve and Peggy end up together--it's a happy ending I never expected! I ship them so hard! It made me tear up when I was actually watching it. And I read through a bunch of passionate debates on ffa last night as to whether he married her in an alternate universe or whether it was a closed time loop, and given how MANY different time travel theories were trotted out in the film, I think we actually get to choose, and ethically I would have to say Steve chose the alternate universe (I can headcanon him having a long conversation with the Ancient One when he goes to return the time stone so he knows what he's doing isn't going to disrupt the original universe), because I literally cannot imagine a Steve Rogers just hiding in the shadows for 70 or however many years letting Bucky suffer and letting Hydra grow within SHIELD, so as far as I'm concerned he created a parallel reality where he and Peggy save Bucky and they have a three-way marriage and root out Hydra and basically create a much better reality. (World War Threesome is actually my favorite favorite favorite ship of many in the MCU, so I really hope this does inspire a lot of fic.)
True, this still leaves original Bucky along (and also frozen Steve frozen), but you know, there are multiple potential fixes for that: bring frozen Steve into this reality for Bucky; have the Bucky in the original universe hook up with Sam (they definitely seemed much more buddy-buddy in this film than they had in the past, which makes me think that while Peter Parker might have been unconscious while dusted, other people still might have had a soul stone existence and formed relationships there); have original Bucky actually be in love with Natasha and have Steve get Natasha back when he returns the soul stone; have original Bucky somehow be connected to the alternate timeline (he seemed to kind of know what Steve was going to do, just based on his parting words and facial expressions? Maybe time traveling Steve stopped by Wakanda and had a theoretical conversation with him?)
Also, if they can bring Gamora forward from the past, why not Natasha? Though the time travel dynamics in this whole film really make my head hurt. Like, bringing Gamora forward kind of works because she never really died because Thanos never got any of the stones, and he can't time travel himself to fix anything because it was the Thanos of 7 years ago who died at the end, so he never did get any of the stones, but surely that must be a multiverse rather than a closed loop, right? Argh. It really doesn't matter to me except insofar as how we can fix it as fans.
no subject
I am totally on board with the alternate timeline where he did do all the things and him, Peggy, and Bucky live happily ever after. I think it's just going to take some mental gymnastics to figure our how old Steve wound up sitting out there. Could he have time jumped again from a point on his alt timeline, and then taken off the hand device thingy? We didn't see any other flashy blue light, but I was holding back tears at the time so . . . y'know.
I'm also half convinced that Steve knew what he was planning and the night before he and Bucky had their teary, snotty goodbye and that's why Bucky felt okay letting Sam take the lead. He didn't want to make it harder for Steve, and Sam also deserved time with his best friend.
IDK, I'm just real excited to see it again in a couple weeks, and all the things fandom is gonna do with it.
(no subject)
no subject
THIIIIIIIS. As far as I'm concerned, this is absolutely what happened.
I'd been spoiled for Natasha's death (I knew the risks when I bought a ticket for the second weekend instead of the first), but not for HOW she died. When she and Clint went after the soul stone, I had such an intense moment of disbelief, because THAT'S HOW THEY'RE KILLING HER?? REALLY???? It totally should've been Clint.
(no subject)