*Warning: this article contains potential spoilers for

Avengers: Endgame*

Avengers: Endgame

premiered in theaters on Apr. 24, 2019. Fans of Marvel comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) alike hyped the film up enormously on social media in the weeks and months leading up to its opening, and a recently started the #DontSpoilTheEndgame movement to prevent spoilers from leaking on social media once the first wave of fans saw the film.

Less than a week after its premiere, the movie has racked up staggering box office records; it set records for the fastest film to reach $1 billion at the box office, biggest opening weekend in history, and stands alone as the only film to cross the $1 billion mark in its debut weekend. Yet there’s still one question that lingers on the minds of those who saw the film: was

Endgame

satisfying?

Avengers: Endgame

immediately picks up where

Infinity War

(2018) left off. Thanos, the Mad Giant who leaves behind death and destruction in order to maintain his skewed beliefs on balance in the universe, has successfully killed off half of the world’s population along with many fan favorite Marvel heroes. Those who survived

Infinity War

— the original Avengers and some individuals from the Guardians of the Galaxy cast — must now deal with the damage Thanos inflicted upon Earth and come to terms with their overwhelming traumas from this tragic event.

Unlike its fast-paced and action-packed predecessor,

Endgame

initially takes its time to focus on character development through the grief that each surviving hero shoulders. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, also known as the Russo Brothers, detail the differences of every single character’s grief, which emphasizes the heroes’ individual personalities and simultaneously indicates that they experience trauma in different ways.

Both the first and last movies from the

Avengers

series display thematic parallels.

The Avengers

(2012) and

Endgame

contain themes of group communication, cooperation despite clashing personalities, and getting some true avenging done. However, self-sacrifice plays a much bigger role in

Endgame

than it does in the first film. When some fan favorites met their final ends, there wasn’t a single dry eye in the theater.

Though a depressing atmosphere looms over much of

Endgame

, the film doesn’t shy away from classic Marvel lightheartedness. There are still the trademarked snappy dialogue, the occasional cheerful scene, and humorous moments, even in the most dire situations.

There’s no need to worry about the fights in

Endgame

being too short or too unobtrusive. The camera takes its times with the fight scenes, making sure that the audience takes in every epic detail of the battles. Though some may argue that specific scenes feel a little too rushed, the final battle of

Endgame

makes up for any disappointment in previous combat scenes given the complexity of this concluding clash. Old and new heroes show off their impressive fighting skills while witty dialogue weaves itself into the fight to keep an overall positive mood despite high tension. Finally, the graphics and special effects in this final showdown add a sense of thrill to the scene.

The film also references past quotes, scenes, and now-immortalized moments entrenched in pop culture. Previous

Avengers

movies, of course, get the most exposure, but

Endgame

also lovingly alludes to previous

Captain America

,

Iron Man

, and

Thor

movies, as well as some of the more recent MCU movies (there’s a nearly unnoticeable

Captain Marvel

reference in there that might conjure some more tears.) If

Infinity War

fulfilled the desire to see multiple heroes from different movies interact, then

Endgame

fulfills the desire to truly bask in Marvel’s formidable legacy built within the MCU.

However, despite the dedication to make every fan’s dream come true,

Endgame

may frustrate some viewers. Some major events in the film feel slightly implausible. Certain characters, though beloved by fans, unfortunately don’t get the central roles that the original Avengers do. Notable deaths will leave many distraught, especially since the Russo Brothers revealed that these characters’ deaths are irreversible. I was not pleased with how certain character arcs concluded in

Endgame

.

In the end, I am satisfied with the movie’s overall conclusion. No matter how much

Endgame

tries to wrap up all the loose ends, it can ultimately never cover every detail in question — there’s no such thing as a perfect movie. The Russo Brothers did their best to end a massive series on a positive note, which is no small feat. The only people who managed to do this successfully in my recent memory are the creators behind the

Harry Potter

franchise and the

Lord of the Rings

trilogy.

Endgame

is, without a doubt, a film that requires multiple viewings if one wants to fully comprehend the intricacies of the movie. It runs for three hours, so patience is necessary to watch it, but viewers need not despair.

Endgame

does not waste a single second of its runtime to the point where cutting anything out of it would feel sacrilegious. All in all,

Avengers: Endgame

delivers an incredible cherry on top to Marvel’s spectacularly-built cinematic universe.

Avengers: Endgame

is currently in theaters everywhere.