Summary
- Winner: Bruce Banner becomes Smart Hulk after learning to embrace both sides of himself, emerges as a formidable hero post-Endgame.
- Loser: Tony’s daughter, Morgan Stark, faces the loss of her father but finds solace in a holographic message, still mourning his absence.
- Winner: Steve Rogers retires peacefully to live out his life with Peggy Carter, achieving his dream without any further superhero interventions.
Avengers: Endgame was the incredible conclusion to the MCU’s Infinity Saga, but the movie also resulted in major wins and losses for the characters left behind. The Infinity Saga was the foundation of the MCU, and it revolved around two pivotal figures. One was Iron Man, also known as Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. And the other is the Mad Titan, Thanos, who sought to bring balance to the universe with the Inifinity Gauntlet.
While the story began in 2008 with Iron Man, and ended with the two-part films, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, which center on Thanos, there are so many more characters that populate the MCU between those two points. And, despite the heroes ultimately winning and managing to bring everyone back, the battle with Thanos took its toll on some characters more than others. Likewise, killing the Mad Titan and restoring half of all life in the universe did mean many characters came out on top.
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Winner: Bruce Banner, AKA The Hulk
Bruce Banner lost dear friends, and Avengers: Endgame saw him getting severely injured after using the Infinity Gauntlet designed by Tony, but, he also came out as a hero, with a lot more gained than lost. For instance, despite Banner having a hard tme in Infinity War, after his first confrontation with Thanos led to him struggling to coax the Hulk out and help him in a fight, he used the five years between movies wisely. Banner was able to settle his differences with his big green alter ego, and became Smart Hulk, an amalgamation of the best parts of both characters.
As Smart Hulk, he was the only Avenger strong enough to withstand the power of the infinity stones, except for possibly Thor, but he was not in peak shape, and he was responsible for snapping everyone back. As seen in later projects like She-Hulk, his arm does recover, and he is now one of the most beloved and well respected heroes on the planet. Smart Hulk definitely came out on top after Endgame.
Loser: Tony’s Daughter Morgan Stark
One of the most obvious examples of someone who was more negatively hit is Morgan Stark, Tony and Pepper’s young daughter. While the rest of the universe had loved ones returning after so much pain and suffering for years, Morgan became one of the few people who lost someone who meant something to them after Endgame. Tony found happiness with his family, and he adored Morgan, just like she adored her father.
However, she did get a heartfelt holographic message from her father, and while that will never be a replacement for her dad, she at least knows how much he truly adored her. Aside from this, Morgan and Pepper lost their biggest connection to the other heroes when Tony died. They lost the man who meant the world to them, and all the money and cool tech in the world will never be able to change that.
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Winner: Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America
Meanwhile, his closest ally, and the other leader to the Avengers, Steve Rogers, had a very different ending in Endgame. After being trapped in ice for decades, waking up in a strange new world, becoming a hero, and then being made into an outlaw, Steve had had enough of the future by the time things wrapped up in Avengers: Endgame. Tasked with returning all the stones to their respective points in the timeline, Steve never came back from his final mission.
Instead, Steve chooses to return to the time after he disappeared, to rekindle his flame with Peggy Carter and live out the future of his choosing. Steve officially retired from being a superhero, and he got to have a normal life with the woman he loved. This isn’t common for any hero, so the fact that Captain America got to have his biggest dream made reality is a huge win.
Loser: Sam Wilson, AKA The Falcon
On the flipside, someone else needed to step up and lay claim to the shield. Sam Wilson, one of Steve Rogers’ best friends in the modern era and the hero known as The Falcon was Steve’s top pick to takeover. After living a full life with his beloved Peggy, an elderly Steve gifts young Sam Wilson with the Captain America shield, and tasks him with becoming the symbol that is Captain America. While this is a beautiful gesture, the reality becomes a much more challenging nightmare for Sam as he attempts to lay claim to the title and live up to his predecessor.
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam slowly strives to live up to his promise, but the world pushes back pretty hard. While the series concludes with Sam accepting his new mantle, the trailer for Captain America: Brave New World reveals that despite holding the shield and wearing the suit, there are still some important figures who don’t respect Sam as the new Cap. Sam will most likely be able to prove everyone wrong, but the weight placed on his shoulders after Endgame has proven to be incredibly heavy so far.
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Winner: Nebula, Daughter of Thanos
However, some other characters had the biggest weight on their shoulders lifted after Endgame. For example, Nebula, who was formerly forced to serve under Thanos after he decimated her people and adopted her as his child. While being a child of Thanos could be seen as punishment enough, Nebula was also terribly abused by her adoptive father. Nebula and Gamora were raised together, as siblings, and Thanos believed that it was important to pit the girls against each other to toughen them up.
However, whenever a child lost, Thanos would set to work tinkering and experimenting, replacing pieces with enhanced augmentations in an effort to help them improve. Gamora was a significantly better fighter, and as a result, Nebula became a tinker toy for Thanos as he brutally chopped and changed her beyond recognition. Endgame finally saw Thanos killed, and Nebula free to live as she chose, with a new newly-found family in the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Loser: Peter Quill, AKA Star-Lord
Peter Quill was also abducted as a child, and he grew up in space with the pirate-like Ravagers. Quill became an adept thief, but he was happiest when he found a group of misfits of his own and formed the Guardians of the Galaxy. While Quill loves all of his friends in the team, he had a special connection with Gamora, another daughter of Thanos, with whom he formed a romantic relationship. While attempting to retrieve the Soul Stone in Infinity War, Thanos sacrifices his beloved daughter.
In Endgame, Star-Lord has to come to grips with the fact that Gamora is dead, but he is confronted by a huge obstacle; another Gamora enters his universe alongside Thanos. Frustratingly, this Gamora is from 2014, just a short time before she would meet Quill in her timeline. Quill is then stuck in a place where its hard to grieve his loss, because Gamora is still out there, and he feels he has a shot at rekindling their romance, but in reality, he has lost his Gamora forever.
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Winner: Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel
Carol Danvers spent literally decades away from Earth after the events of Captain Marvel. However, she left Nick Fury with a way to signal her if there was ever a need. In Endgame, Danvers is one of the biggest and best heroes around, having saved Tony Stark from dying in space, and arriving on Earth just in time to help obliterate Thanos’ army. Danvers is one of the most badass heroes in Endgame, showcasing her powers, and becoming invaluable to the rest of the heroes.
This also sets up her forming new connections with the other heroes, and touching base with her former home. While she still struggles to accept Earth as her home, Earth accepts her as one of their mightiest heroes. She becomes an icon who is adored by people everywhere, like Kamala Khan, and her world becomes a little bit less lonely and isolated. Though her accepting this continues to be a struggle.
Loser: Wanda Maximoff, AKA The Scarlet Witch
While Danvers gained so much in Endgame, others, like Wanda Maximoff, lost everything. Infinity War saw Wanda lose the love of her life, Vision, when he was killed by Thanos in order to get the Mind Stone. However, just before that, Wanda also went through the trauma of killing Vision at his request to try and stop Thanos. Unfortunately, his sacrifice was in vain, as Thanos used the Time Stone to simply undo his noble sacrifice.
In Endgame, Wanda tried to take out her rage on Thanos, and she managed to deal some intense blows on the remarkable villain, but his death was ultimately a hollow victory for her. With revenge out of the way, Wanda was left alone, struggling to make sense of a world without Vision. This, of course, led to further troubles as seen in WandaVision, where she hijacked a town, created and lost twin boys, and came to accept the reality of Vision’s death.
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Winner: Stephen Strange, AKA Doctor Strange
Meanwhile, another powerful sorcerer, Stephen Strange, managed to come through Endgame with more ups than downs. In Infinity War, Doctor Strange became one of the victims of the snap, meaning he disappeared along with half of all life in the universe for five years. Shortly before, Strange used his powers to examine every potential outcome of their battle with Thanos, which numbered over 14 million potentials, and he was able to see one way forward.
Strange needed to place his trust implicitly in the hands of heroes like Iron Man to find this way alone, and if they failed, he could have disappeared forever. Fortunately, the Avengers succeeded in bringing Strange and everyone else back. However, he did lose his position as Sorcerer Supreme, but this is a relatively small price to pay for half of all life to be restored back to its rightful place in the universe.
Loser: Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye
Custom Image By Zoe Miskelly
Finally, Clint Barton suffered a tremendous loss in Endgame, despite seeing his whole family return. In the five years after the snap, Barton went on a rampage as an assassin known as Ronin. The loss of his family was a burden that was too much to bare, and he chose to pursue violent means to try and stifle the pain. However, he jumped at the glimmer of hope to bring his family home when his best friend Natasha got in touch with a plan to undo the snap.
Barton and Natasha were assigned to recover the Soul Stone, not knowing what to expect, but when they arrived on Vormir, they quickly understood what price had to be paid to recover the stone. Barton and Nat fought hard to be the one to lay their lives down for their friends and the universe at large, but ultimately, Nat was able to jump in first. Barton got his family back, but he continues to live with guilt and shame about his time as Ronin, and the loss of his dear friend, making him one of the hardest hit by the events of Avengers: Endgame.
Avengers: Endgame 
4.5 PG-13FantasyAdventureAction Where to Watch
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The penultimate chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Endgame, marks the finale of the first three phases of the MCU and acts as part two of Avengers: Infinity War. With Earth’s Mightiest Heroes failing to stop Thanos from wiping out half of all existence, the heroes discover one final chance to make things right. Journeying back through space and time, the surviving Avengers attempt to stop Thanos before all is lost.
Director Joe Russo , Anthony Russo Release Date April 26, 2019 Distributor(s) Disney , Marvel Writers Stephen McFeely , Christopher Markus Cast Chris Hemsworth , Anthony Mackie , Paul Rudd , Robert Downey Jr. , Scarlett Johansson , Mark Ruffalo , Evangeline Lilly , Sebastian Stan , Josh Brolin , Elizabeth Olsen , Tom Holland , Don Cheadle , Samuel L. Jackson , Bradley Cooper , Karen Gillan , Brie Larson , Paul Bettany , Chris Evans , Jeremy Renner , Chadwick Boseman Runtime 182 Minutes prequel(s) Avengers: Age of Ultron , Avengers: Infinity War , The Avengers Budget 356 million USD Expand
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