From Avengers to Endgame: Why Marvel’s golden era deserves a summer binge ahead of Doomsday messy plot leaks

Sigh. There really was a time when even the vaguest Marvel teaser sent fans spiraling into conspiracy rabbit holes.

 What a time it was to live through 2018 and 2019—watching Avengers Infinity War, believing firmly that our heroes wouldn’t let Thanos win, and snap half the universe way. You don't forget classic scenes: Captain America appearing behind the train (with a beard, mind you) to save Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany).

 But, it was also the first time that Marvel left us with a sense of devastation and confusion: You mean, the good folks didn’t win? There were actual deaths? We lost Gamora, Loki, Spider-Man and so many others in one film? 

Again, what?

And Endgame returned. Hope rose again as timelines were willingly distorted—even without much logic, but it was such spectacular fan service that you really didn’t think much. Shh, don’t start questioning Captain America’s (Chris Evans) move to return to his past and relive his life, thereby changing all the events that had happened till date. Just acknowledge the bittersweetness of that ending—as sad as it was to see Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) die, Captain America turn old, and everyone else packing up for the fourth phase, which turned out to be such a clotted mess that you couldn’t tell one from the other.

Now, Avengers: Doomsday is ready—Robert Downey Jr is back, but not as Iron Man. He’s Dr Doom and if plot leaks are to be believed, he will use his similarity with Iron Man to wreck the new Avengers. As a very wise person on Twitter noted, this sounds like a soap opera floundering on its Season 27. But for us from India, Ekta Kapoor and her K-Serials did it first. Yawn. Yawn.

So, for your summer binge, why not return to a time when superhero films were genuinely fun and thoroughly enjoyable? Start with Marvel’s The Avengers (2012), where it all began with the original six heroes, then dive into the chaos of Infinity War and the emotional weight of Endgame. Watch them all in one sitting if you can—and relive the magic of an era when superhero films told solid stories instead of chasing fan service, cramming in cameos, or losing the plot for a gasp.