Liv Larsen: Hello, and welcome to Trending. Today’s guest is…

Annika Rock: Annika Rock.

LL: And we’re going to be talking about…. Endgame! So, as pretty much everybody knows Endgame came out on Thursday of last week which was the…

AR: 25th and then it was supposed to be released on April 26th.

LL: But you know, there were showing on Thursday. So we’re just going to be talking about some of our favorite parts, things we noticed, I don’t know maybe some theories. We’ll see. Whatever we end up talking about. Do you have anything you want to start off with Annika?

AR: I just wanted to say that a lot of people, well a lot of people around the school, have been spoiling things which I think is a big, huge no-no. Don’t spoil things for everyone cause spoiling sucks and even if the person you’re telling these things to doesn’t even really like the movie or the whole franchise, but still might watch it in the near future. Don’t spoil it. It’s just not fun for them.

LL: Yeah, and also if you don’t want spoilers then stop listening to the podcast right now because that was the safe part of the podcast. That was the introduction. From now on not safe. I guess, should we start off by talking about how the movie started? I mean, personally, I was kind of… It was kind of a lot that they started off right at the beginning with Hawkeye’s family dying.

AR: That was so sad.

LL: Or being dusted I guess.

AR: I didn’t really like the first 20 minutes. I don’t really remember even though I saw it on Sunday.

LL: It’s like his family gets dusted, and then Captain Marvel comes and they’re like “Oh, Let’s kill Thanos.”

AR: Speaking of Captain Marvel, I know she just had her own movie, but I wish there were more of her cause I remember thinking going in “Oh, Captain Marvel’s gonna save the day.” Like that’s how she’s gonna help, but she was barely in the movie.

LL: Especially because the post-credits scene of Infinity War was Nick Fury paging her, so it kind of seeming like-

AR: She was gonna be the one saving everybody.

LL: Yeah for sure.

AR: But I guess… did not. And then, what are your thoughts on smart Hulk?

LL: Yeah, I thought that was kind of interesting. I know a lot of people don’t really like it. They like him either way.

AR: Yeah, I kind of liked him either way, but wasn’t smart Hulk in the comics?

LL: I just feel like he wasn’t as powerful Hulk-wise. He just seemed like he was Banner in Hulk’s body.

AR: Do you think it’s because they couldn’t get Mark Ruffalo?

LL: No, that was Mark Ruffalo.

AR: Okay, wait. I don’t know. Wait, so then why did they combine?

LL: Well remember how in Infinity War he wasn’t Hulk? So then, they were talking about after… Banner was talking about after he did this so he could have a good relationship with both because he felt like before he was always trying to stop the Hulk from coming out. You know?

AR: I thought this movie was a lot more funny than a lot of the other movies except for Thor: Ragnarok which was really nice cause I like funny movies.

LL: I love the one-liners. Some of them are a little corny, but they’re all so funny.

AR: Some of the movies, like every Thor movie except for Thor: Ragnarok, are just kind of serious, and boring, but the humor, even if it’s not really a good plotline, which all of them usually are, but if it’s not really a good plotline, having some funny things added would be really good for the movie.

LL: How did you feel about the plotline of Endgame?

AR: Okay, it was kind of confusing, but I like it. Obviously, it wasn’t scientifically accurate at all.

LL: You can’t go into these kinds of movies thinking they’re going to be scientifically accurate of course.

AR: I think, I liked how they used a lot of the characters who were still alive like Ant-Man, and all of them came together instead of just the original Avengers who still lived.

LL: I just loved them going back into previous movies. It was so fun.

AR: That was just… Well I guess it’s kind of like… You don’t really expect that, but since it’s the last movie of this entire franchise, it makes sense that they would go back and recap, and go back to old times, old movies, go down memory lane.

LL: It was so fun to see the original Avengers movie, and then also when they went back to 1970. That was probably one of my favorite scenes.

AR: When Tony was with his dad.

LL: Yeah, that was so sweet.

AR: Also I liked how they showed after. You don’t get to see the behind the scenes of the original Avengers. You don’t get to see them going down with Loki, and Loki making jokes and being all annoying and everything, and then you got to see that in this movie, which I thought was funny and good, and something I wanted to see I guess.

LL: Also seeing Cap fighting himself.

AR: That was so funny.

LL: That was so funny.

AR: That was really good. What was your favorite part, other than going back in time and seeing all the past movies?

LL: I mean, I kind of have two. This was kind of a really minor moment, but you know I loved the part when Cap said “Hail Hydra.” When he was with all the S.H.I.E.L.D. workers-

AR: And he already knew that they were all Hydra, so he said “Hail Hydra.”

LL: I love that so much, and then he just walks out of the elevator, and they show his face. He’s just like, piece of cake. He finessed that. I also love, of course, the portals scene.

AR: Yeah, that was definitely my favorite scene. When they all come out and join. It was just a full feeling that made me so happy because it was all of them together.

LL: And waiting to see your favorite superhero. First, you see Black Panther with Shuri, and then me waiting for Spider-Man.

AR: And then Doctor Strange walks out as well, and everyone’s just there. When you see… I don’t know if Hank Pym was there, but I think the Wasp was there. Hope was there.

LL: Identifying everyone that you’ve seen throughout this entire long storyline. Also, like Thor and Captain America and Iron Man fighting Thanos, that was such a good scene.

AR: When they’re all just going at it.

LL: When Cap gets Thor’s hammer… That-

AR: At the movie theater, that was the scene that had the biggest “Huh? Nice!” Everyone was so excited. Everyone was clapping. Then when Thor goes like “I knew it,” because in Age of Ultron he moves it when they’re playing that one game. I think it’s funny. How do you feel about Thor’s transformation?

LL: Oh yeah. I thought that was honestly funny, and I saw a lot of people on Reddit and stuff talking about how that was actually kinda deep. How he was unsuccessful in killing Thanos, and he probably put a ton of the blame on himself because he didn’t aim for the head, and then he finally does, and it doesn’t solve anything. Everyone was kind of like “why did you do that?” After he did it, but he was just doing what he thought it was best.

AR: Also he lost everyone he’s ever loved essentially. Except for Korg.

LL: Yeah, love Korg.

AR: I know a lot of people were talking about how in that one clip they’re playing Fortnite, and everyone’s just going crazy over how Fortnite was in Endgame. I don’t know. I think it’s kind of dumb.

LL: I don’t care about Fortnite at all, like, I honestly think it’s kind of annoying, but that scene was small enough that it’s just like whatever.

AR: Yeah, I think it does shy away from the original. You think Thor’s this huge muscular, six-pack guy who can throw a hammer, and then when you don’t see that in the later movie you’re like “oh, that’s a change I guess.”

LL: I thought this movie did a super good job of tying up all the loose ends and giving everyone an ending.

AR: Yeah, especially Cap, which was the best ending.

LL: I loved that.

AR: I liked… Really this movie, even if you weren’t a fan of the MCU and you just kinda went, and you saw a couple of movies, and then came to see Endgame, it would still emotionally touch you in some sort of way, but if you’re a fan, like us, it really knows how to get into your emotional state.

LL: Especially Natasha, how at the beginning she doesn’t know what to do with herself now that essentially the fight against Thanos is over because he’s dead, and they don’t know what to do, and then when they’re trying to get the soul stone, and she literally-

AR: Sacrifices herself essentially. Even though she’s the one, who out of all of them really just wanted to get everyone back.

LL: Iron Man had kind of moved on.

AR: Cap had kind of moved on. He was in that service group.

LL: He wasn’t doing great, but-

AR: Hawkeye was not doing great, but he also made some pretty bad decisions. He didn’t make any decisions to help the cause, and the only one who was really helping was Captain Marvel, and Rhodey, and…

LL: Wasn’t Nebula?

AR: And Nebula, who weren’t really attached to the whole Avengers. I mean they were, but they weren’t as involved as Nat, which was kind of sad that she had to die. I thought Iron Man’s death was definitely inevitable. Everyone kind of thought coming into it, well I don’t know, from my personal experience, everyone I talked to thought either him or Cap or Thor was gonna die, and we just didn’t know when. I just thought it was really nice that they had him save the day, and then go out as a hero.

LL: Especially because it showed so much character development for him. From going to in the first few Iron Man movies he’s kind of just an arrogant, spoiled, billionaire, his dad made all the money, and he’s just kind of here for the ride, to dying-

AR: Saving the world essentially.

LL: To sacrifice himself.

AR: And also when they put in that line, “I am Iron Man.” Which connects back to the first movie, at the end of it, when he says to the press conference that he is Iron Man.

LL: Ugh, I’m getting chills.

AR: It’s just like good job Marvel directors and writers and stuff. That was perfect. That was a perfect line.

LL: I feel like there were so many moments like that. Like when Cap says “Avengers assemble.”

AR: That was so good.

LL: Do you remember the shot when they show Cap alone, it’s just his silhouette, and then they show all of Thanos and his army. It’s all of those people. It’s kind of the opposite of that shot because then they show Cap with all the people behind him, fighting with him.

AR: I also thought that was a good spot. I really thought Chris Evans as an actor did a good job of making it seem like he was completely alone and he was going to fight this on his own. He was just like “I’m ready. I gotta do this,” and then when everyone came that was just so good. I loved that.

LL: I love Chris Evans oh my god. He was so great.

AR: Yeah, and Caps ending was definitely by far the best. When he comes back as an old man, and had already lived a good life with Peggy. Which is so cute. We talked about how they listened to that one song that was also in Winter Soldier when Nick Fury is in Cap’s apartment, and he’s hurt. That’s the song that’s playing so people don’t hear them.

LL: I’ve been listening to that song so much. That’s so sweet.

AR: It’s a little Easter egg.

LL: They have so many of those. I love it.

AR: Yeah, Easter eggs are so fun.

LL: What are you thinking about looking forward into the next stages of maybe another Marvel Cinematic Universe?

AR: This was kind of the best it could be, in my personal opinion. Obviously all the Marvel movies that are to come like Spider-Man: Far From Home, and the Black Widow movie, and maybe a third Guardians, are still gonna be really good movies on their own, and they’ll follow the stories of those characters. I don’t think it can really be topped right now, in my personal opinion. I feel like it’s not gonna go down. The Marvel studio is really good at making these movies that other people will like. I feel like it’s gonna stay the same, and I don’t know if they’ll make another Marvel Cinematic Universe type franchise like the Avengers.

LL: I feel like they will just because of how much money it’s brought in. It will just be really interesting to see how much they’re going to copy the old formulas they have for the Marvel movies, or if they’re going to try and find a new niche.

AR: Didn’t you say some people were talking about how the next Avengers might be the younger kids.

LL: Oh yeah, I saw a lot of people theorizing that they would create a new Avengers with Cassie, Morgan, Iron Man’s daughter-

AR: And the kid from Iron Man three, who helps Tony in that movie.

LL: That’ll be really interesting.

AR:That would be interesting if that happened, but I don’t know.

LL: I guess we probably won’t know for a while.

AR: Yeah, we won’t know for a while if they’re going to drop another thing like that. I feel like they would because this entire franchise made a lot of money. But I’m sad to see… Or they might continue Thor’s…

LL: Oh yeah, I think Thor’s going to be in the next Guardians of the Galaxy because now he’s kind of with them.

AR: I feel like… I thought… I know for sure that Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are completely done because their contracts have ended. They’re overdue. They’re done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I know that Thor, I know that Chris Hemsworth’s is basically done, so we don’t know if there’s going to be Thor four.

LL: Honestly, we don’t want it. Unless it’s as good as Ragnarok, they can keep it.

AR: Taika Waititi directs it again then I’ll watch it.

LL: So, what would you say to anyone considering seeing Endgame?

AR: I would say please watch, if you haven’t seen some movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, please watch them. It just won’t be as good. If you can, watch all of them, because you will not regret it. Except for a couple of them you can skip like Hulk.

LL: Yeah, you can skip Thor: The Dark World, Incredible Hulk,

AR: Thor the second one, I don’t really know.

LL: That’s the Dark World.

AR: Oh, then the first one. I don’t like either of those,

LL: Honestly yeah.

AR: You can skip those, but watch everything else because you’ll thoroughly enjoy it, and then watch Endgame.

LL: Endgame would be maybe fun on its own, but knowing the context makes it so much more fun.

AR: Yep.

LL: So, thank you so much for listening to Trending stay tuned for another episode coming soon. Thank you Annika.

AR: Thank you for having me.