As the lights in the theatre dimmed, I was instantly hit by the realization that this would be the final time I watched an Avengers movie for the first time. That reminder was ever-present through my viewing of “Avengers: Endgame” as I watched the characters that I have loved for years make immense sacrifices in order to try to bring back their lost friends and family.

Throughout the beginning of the movie, characters are seen grappling with the losses they endured after the titan Thanos obtained all six infinity stones and used their power to wipe out half of Earth’s population at random. The remaining Avengers are, as trailers have stated previously, willing to do “whatever it takes” to bring them back.

Seeing these characters react to the deaths of so many people around them is a reminder that while they have incredible abilities, these people are still human. With as crazy as Marvel movies can get, coming back to the idea that these heroes are still human and have normal, emotional reactions made watching certain characters ultimately die so much harder. In the time since the death of half of the planet, some of the Avengers have built new lives for themselves, while others find they cannot move on from the pain they have endured and are miserable. The one common denominator between all of them is that they all lost someone close to them, so when they create a plan that may be able to bring everyone back, the Avengers are united again.

The plan to bring back everyone who was killed in Thanos’ snap is risky and difficult to believe, even among the Avengers, and of course not much goes as planned, but even though elements of the movie were predictable, I found myself on the edge of my seat at times. So many unexpected things happened that, if mentioned, would spoil the entire plot, but it is safe to say that there is never a dull moment in the second half of the film. There were scenes with characters that have not been seen in the Marvel Universe for several films, and these scenes were a nice reminder that they are not forgotten.

One of my only complaints is that with such a large cast, certain characters who were supposed to be a part of the main cast seemed left behind. When the credits rolled, I was unsure of the fates of several characters and only figured out what happened to them later. This was bound to happen, but I was disappointed that some of these character’s last appearances went by almost unnoticed.

“Endgame” really was the end of an era. I’ve been watching Marvel movies since the first Avengers movie was released in 2012, and this felt like the fitting, if not always happy, ending that the franchise deserved. There was a time during the film when I remembered the first movie compared to what I was watching and realized how much has changed since then. These are movies that I have grown through my teen years with, and if I’m honest, I’m sad to see them go. But, as Tony Stark said in “Endgame,” “part of the journey is the end,” and if the Avengers films had to come to an end, then this was a fitting send off.