Top 25 Moments In Which Endgame Made Me Cry, Laugh out Loud, or Smile

Avengers: Endgame, as we know, came out 3 years ago now, and it still feels like yesterday that I was trying (and failing) to focus on normal, everyday life when this movie was hitting theaters. Now, as we approach its anniversary on April 26, I can’t stop thinking of how much this movie (and its predecessor Avengers: Infinity War) shook the world and changed the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever. These movies are, in my opinion, two of the greatest superhero movies, and I could go on for hours as to why they are so amazing. Not only does Endgame have show-stopping, jaw-dropping, tear-jerking moments— it also has an ensemble cast that ties up and connects a decade of movies perfectly. That storytelling and world-building is enough to give me chills.

But, alas, I’m not here right now to discuss why Endgame (and Infinity War) are two of the greatest movies in cinematic history. I’m here right now to share the top 25 moments in Endgame that made me feel. And, yes, it was incredibly hard to narrow it down to just 25. And you might be thinking, just 25? Well, I had originally wanted to choose my top ten, but ten was too hard for me. I ended up landing on a top 25, which still proved hard to narrow down, as this movie was full of spectacular moments.

WARNING: If you are someone who has yet to see Avengers: Endgame, there will be a HUGE amount of spoilers ahead. So, reader beware. Now, without further adieu, here are my top 25 “feel” moments in chronological order in which they appeared in the movie:

1) Hawkeye Losing His Family.

In the opening scene, Hawkeye is outside with his family, getting ready to eat, when his family disappears. We didn’t get to see Hawkeye in Infinity War because he was on house arrest, but this opening scene shows us just how much Hawkeye has lost when Thanos snapped his fingers. This tears at my heart-strings every time.

2) Tony Almost Giving Up.

After the beginning credits, we see Tony Stark in the Benatar with Nebula after their battle in Avengers: Infinity War. At first, they are kind of just floating along, and you can see that they are waiting to be rescued. I mean, someone’s got to be searching for them, right? Right? But at this point, after a fight like the one we saw in Infinity War, it’s not even clear to the entire team who’s alive and who’s dead or been dusted— and searching through a vast, open space isn’t exactly easy.

But now they’re about to die, and Tony has just about given up. The heartbreaking moment comes when Tony is alone and he is saving a recording through his helmet for Pepper. In his weakest moment (both mentally and physically), Tony is the most vulnerable that we’ve ever seen him. He’s basically telling Pepper that, if he dies now, it will be peaceful. He will be okay. He’s accepted it.

In this moment, Tony is his rawest, emotional self, and you see him leave it all on the line. Tony, a man rare to give up, is finally saying goodbye to the fight, to his life, and to his loved ones—and that’s when you know how terrible this battle has been for him. It’s then another tear-jerking moment when you see Nebula lift him into the captain’s chair so that he’ll have a beautiful view in his final moments. This part is extremely sad because you think that Tony is actually going to die. But then we see a bright light— and it’s… Captain Marvel! At this point, I am holding onto the edge of my seat because there is hope!

3) The Return of the Benatar.

The moment that Captain Marvel returns the Benatar back to the Avengers Compound and is greeted by the remainder of the team is bittersweet. On one hand, I was happy that Tony had returned home safely (albeit hurt). But, on the other hand, this is the moment where you finally have them admit that they’ve lost. Steve is so defeated and you can just hear him thinking, We lost everyone… and flashing back to the moment in Infinity War where he just crumbled to the ground when the realization sunk in.

I think this moment (and the end of Infinity War) is so important because the heroes always win. To have such a big superhero movie where the heroes actually lose is immensely powerful because, in the end, it shows that they are human, too. It also turns the tables a bit because you expect them to win, so, when they don’t, you wonder, how are they going to come back after this? Will they come back? How will this loss affect a group of people who are so used to being able to save the day? How will losing everything tear apart these heroes?

4) Flying to The Garden.

When the team is back in the Benatar and they’re flying to The Garden to meet Thanos, Steve reflects on the woman he loved and lost, and then he and Natasha have a tear-jerking exchange over whether their plan will work.

This is just so sad because, again, you have the heroes who always win the big game— but, at the end of the day, you’re also reminded of how much they all have lost in their individual battles along the way, as well. In this interaction between Steve and Natasha, he is basically saying, How much more can I take? I can’t lose everyone I love again. I won’t allow it.

And then, scenes later, when it’s five years in the future, Steve says they have to move on. But, you wonder if Steve really believes it or if he’s just trying to convince himself because you know that he’s never really moved on. Everything he’s done has been for the people he’s lost, especially Bucky. We then get a tearful confirmation that they haven’t really moved on in a later conversation between Natasha and Steve.

5) The Garden.

When the team arrives at Thanos’ Garden and we realize that the stones are gone, it drops my heart because I can just see how the team crumbles and doesn't really know how to take this news. How can the stones be gone? If the stones are gone, how are they going to bring everyone back? Their last hope has disappeared. And you see Thor just break and chop off Thanos’ head. And I’m just left with my jaw dropped and my hands clutching my seat, wondering what is going to happen, because in just the first few minutes of the movie, so much has already occurred and it really does seem like hope is lost.

6) The Vanished.

When Ant-Man goes to the memorial of “The Vanished” and you see him just searching the walls for his daughter, I feel for him. He has no idea what is going on, but his first instinct is to search for his family, whom he later reunites with. This entire scene is emotional because at first because you can feel Scott’s sadness and fear when he’s just dumped into all of this and he has no idea what’s going on. But then it’s happy and heart-felt when his daughter is back in his arms.

7) Tony Fooling Around with Time Travel.

After initially dismissing the idea of time travel, Tony can’t stop thinking about it, and he begins to fool around with time travel. And it works! Part of him wants to just forget about it and move on, but Pepper questions him. And you see Tony being vulnerable again as he stares at Pepper in silence— because you have his answer. He got his second chance and he doesn’t want to risk giving it up, but he’s also a hero with a great mind, and if he didn't pursue this, he would think about it forever and he’d probably never forgive himself. This moment gives me a swell of hope! But it’s also just so emotional because I can see the battle within Tony as he debates between choosing himself and his family or risking everything to save everyone they’ve lost.

8) Testing, Testing.

When Tony turns down Steve, Natasha, and Scott’s plea for help with time travel, they turn to Bruce instead. During time travel test number one, two, and three, Ant-Man goes into the time machine and comes out as a boy, an old man, and then a baby. When he returns as his normal self he jokes about peeing his pants. This moment is hilarious and has me laughing every time.

9) The Taco Scene.

The scene in which Ant-Man is eating his taco has got to be one of the funniest bits in the movie. When the Benatar lands and blows a force of air into Scott’s face, the inside of his taco flies everywhere and he’s just like, Whatttt?? And then not even a moment later, Rhodey lands and Scott jumps and completely drops his taco. The Hulk then comes around the corner and offers Ant-Man more tacos. This is another scene that cracks me up every time I watch it. Complemented with the music and the drive to New Asgard, this scene is perfection.

10) Natasha Meeting Ronin.

When Natasha reunites with Hawkeye in Tokyo, you can just see the toll everything has taken on him and how he blames himself for not being able to protect his family. When he and Natasha talk about hope, it is the saddest, most heart-wrenching thing because nobody wants false hope and in those words I can just feel all of Hawkeye’s hurt. When Natasha looks at Hawkeye, I can see how much it hurts her, too, to realize how much her friend is suffering and what it has led him to do.

Becoming Ronin was Hawkeye’s way of coping with all that had happened— and he has done a lot of damage. After all of his lost hope, knowing that there could indeed be hope is a hard thing to hear because, if he gets his family back and the hope was not false, he has to deal with all of the terrible things that he did as Ronin. But if the hope is false, it will hurt him even more, almost like losing his family a second time. In this moment, I think it is the false hope that he is scared of more than anything. He doesn’t want to hope because he can’t deal with that again.

11) Aether.

When Thor is giving his explanation of the Aether when they were figuring out the time heist, you cannot help but laugh. At first Thor looks like he’s sleeping in the corner, but then Rhodey jokes that he is dead, which is hilarious. And then Thor’s storytelling is so funny because he isn’t that great at explaining and it’s kind of all over the place. Everyone sort of watches him like, What is going on? But Ant-Man is just nodding like he’s totally engaged, which is even funnier. In this scene, you can see the toll that all of this has taken on Thor and how he’s changed so much from the confident God of Thunder to a drunken, emotional man.

12) Back on Asgard.

The scene where Thor is back on Asgard with Rocket and he’s having a panic attack has me at mixed feelings. On one hand, I feel immensely sorry for Thor and for all that he’s been through but, on the other hand, I also find this scene funny in a sad sort of way because of how relatable Thor is to my daily self. He says he feels like he’s losing it and he’s barely holding it together. And when Rocket asks Thor if he’s crying, Thor has trouble answering. And I’m just like: feels, dude, feels.

13) Back in New York.

When we’re at the top of the Avengers Tower in 2012, this part is so prideful because you’re seeing the Avengers after they won their first battle together and it brings you back to where it all started. It makes my heart swell every time I see it, and I just love getting to see it from a different perspective. It’s also a funny moment because Tony is staring at Steve’s rear and he, Steve, and Ant-Man have a hilarious exchange about his butt. When Steve is fighting himself, he confirms that they are not wrong about their poking fun.

14) Not as Planned.

When their plan in 2012 New York doesn’t go as… planned and Loki ends up with the tesseract, there are a lot of mixed feels. This part makes me gasp and jaw-drop all at once because 1) that means that Loki is out there somewhere with the tesseract and you know this is going to be a game-changer, and 2) because now the Avengers have made a mistake.

What happened to 'no do-overs'? What are they going to do now? How are they going to get the tesseract? This moment is great, though, because, not only does it add another level of complexity, it also shows that their heroic plans aren’t fool proof and that, again, they’re human and they aren’t perfect. Maybe the heroes will end up winning in this one, but they’re still going to be in for one heck of a ride. I feel for them because now they need a new plan. There’s got to be a little bit of helplessness, knowing that they could still lose it all.

15) Quill dancing on Morag.

When Rhodey and Nebula are getting the power stone on Morag, they get to watch Quill dance as he enters the cave. This scene in Guardians of the Galaxy is so iconic, so seeing him dance in the silence from the perspective of the others is hilarious. I love that this was included in Endgame because this always has me in stitches. Plus, seeing as there are so many heavy moments in this movie, I’m always up for some Guardian’s comic relief. And, what makes it even funnier, is that Rhodey has never met Quill at this point, so he’s like, Who the heck is this guy?

16) Trust.

When Steve and Tony are “improvising” on the spot to come up with an idea on how to get the tesseract and more Pym Particles, this makes me smile. This moment between Tony and Steve is so bittersweet and special because ever since Captain America: Civil War, these two men have been feuding. And, although they’ve managed to work together, you know that there are still hurt feelings and lost trust. Almost out of options, Tony and Steve have to work together and risk it all. In a simple but meaningful conversation, they reaffirm their trust. It's just a beautiful moment where they forgive each other and come together like they were always meant to before the final battle of their lives.

17) Welcome to the 1970s.

When they’re in the 1970s, Steve has to be careful about being seen because he is supposed to be ‘dead’. At one point we find him hiding in a room, only to realize that it is Peggy Carter’s office. When he stares at her through the window, there are tears rolling down his face, and it is an emotional moment. Steve is so close to her, and yet he is not allowed to say ‘hello’. Tony’s interaction with his father is equally emotional, especially when Tony gets the chance to hug Howard. Tony unexpectedly lost his parents in a car crash (thank you, Bucky), and he and his father parted on poor terms. He never actually got to say goodbye, so I think this moment is kind of Tony being able to say goodbye one last time and feel a little bit of closure.

18) Vormir.

Enough said. Except, I’ll say more because this scene is a crazy tear-jerker. Hawkeye and Natasha are best friends, and you know that they love each other. When they show up on Vormir, they have no idea that one of them will have to be sacrificed, so to find this out shocks them and makes their hearts stop. We saw it happen with Thanos and Gamora, but this one is even worse.

These two people are willing to risk themselves for the stone so that they can save the others— but they do not want to risk the other. It’s another helpless, heart-tearing scene. Honorable and brave, these two people have done a lot in their lives and made so many hard calls, but this is the hardest for sure.

Hawkeye believes he deserves this — to sacrifice himself — because he’s done so much evil. But Natasha disagrees. So then they get into this epic little battle trying to sacrifice themselves so that the other won’t. For a moment, they both go over— but, in the end, it’s Natasha who slips from Hawkeye’s fingers. It is clear that neither one of them really wants to die, but Natasha tells Hawkeye to let her go.

This scene really makes me pause in my seat and just stare at the screen like, What just happened? What did I just witness? Is Natasha really gone? No. It can’t be. It can’t be. They wouldn’t just kill her off— but you know that this is it for her. And, while it was a terrible death, it was an honorable one, which makes it even more emotional.

Afterwards when Hawkeye sits in the water and stares at the stone in his hand, he just breaks down and is probably wondering, Was it worth it? On one hand, he just lost someone he loved dearly. On the other, the stone means he’s going to see his family again. This is one of those tear-jerker moments. Between us saying goodbye to Natasha and the complete sadness and utter heartbrokenness of Hawkeye, this scene (and the scene that ensues with all the Avengers grieving) is a real killer (no dry eyes over here), and it gives the Avengers that extra drive to succeed, just like Phil Coulson’s death in the first Avengers movie.

19) Bruce’s Snap.

This is a crazy moment for sure. When Bruce uses the gauntlet, we see evidence that their plan has worked! But we only get this small moment of ‘YESSSSSSSS’ excitement before all of the sudden we’re hit with ‘WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?’ when the Avengers Compound is fired at. It’s like you get all of this cheer, thinking the story is going to end with the Avengers winning, and then there’s an entire battle to come. The Avengers compound is attacked, and everyone is trapped beneath the rubble. It is such a helpless feeling, watching them all struggle beneath the wreckage and just hoping they will all make it out alive. I mean, they just got all the stones, and they’ve already been through so much. Just give them a break! Although some part of me knows it isn’t just going to end like that, this is very unexpected. Jaw-dropping moment.

20) Thanos Shows Up.

I’m still reeling from the collapse of the Avengers Compound. My hands have gone numb from clutching my seat so hard. Why, Old-Nebula? Why?

21) Facing Thanos.

The big three (Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor) walking to Thanos, ready for a fight, and then standing up to him and fighting is so powerful. They’ve fought him before, and in this moment, they are just done. They want Thanos gone. They're like, We don’t care what you say, Thanos, But you’re not going to win again. You’ve done enough, and we’ve had it. Prepare to die.

22) Captain Amercia Picking Up Mjolnir.

This moment makes my heart swell with pride, my mouth smile widely, and everyone in the audience cheer. We all knew he was worthy, and we finally get that beautiful confirmation. This is such a great cinematic moment, and I just— man, there are so many feels. This is really a winning moment. And after Steve picks up Mjolnir, his fight with Thanos is epic. He fights with both shield and hammer. And his shield, which should be indestructible, breaks. But he gets up anyways, and he keeps fighting, even though he’s beaten and bloody, because Captain America never gives up. You can almost hear him saying his infamous line from Captain America: The First Avenger. Beautiful human.

23) The Big Assemble!

And then not even a moment later you hear Sam in his ear! The little portals open up and we have everyone who had been dusted reappearing! This was one of the greatest moments in cinematic history, in my opinion. You just have the entire MCU lined up in this epic battle, and at first I don’t even really have time to grasp the fact that everyone is back because my heart is just swelling with pride and happiness because of the beautiful lineup here. So many heroes in the same room at the same time, ready to fight. We thought the airport scene in Captain America: Civil War was big— but this, this is big. And then you hear Captain America say one of the most iconic Avengers' lines, and I just about lose it. So many happy tears and pride and numbness in my fingers and chills up my spine because it’s such an epic moment that we all get to witness on screen.

The battle that then ensues is CRAZY. But, there are way too many points to get into with that, so let’s just say the whole battle was full of feels. I will mention one, though: the hug between Iron Man and Spider-Man. Spider-Man kind of became a son to Iron Man, and you can tell how much they mean to each other. So having that hug was so heartfelt to see. We needed that reunion.

24) Tony’s Death.

Doctor Strange looks at Tony and he holds up one finger. This is their one chance to win the fight — to defeat Thanos once and for all — and Iron Man knows what he must do. It’s all come down to this. He takes the stones in his own gauntlet. Thanos thinks, for a moment, that he has won, but then the tables turn when Tony just returns with his iconic Iron Man line and snaps his fingers instead, thus ending the battle. This really comes full circle and is so sad. I just remember the silence in the theater when Iron Man was dying, kind of like a shock. It was crazy to see the character who basically began this MCU journey coming to his end. We knew some big heroes were going to die, but it still came as a blow when one of our favorites, who we’ve loved and followed throughout the years, had died.

In his final moments, it’s just such a bittersweet moment. His death is terrible, but it’s also like peaceful in a way? He’s surrounded by all the people he loves, and it’s only right that the man who started the Avengers is the man who would ‘end’ it as well. Tony’s voice-over and recording is also very heart-breaking. And seeing the reunions between everyone and then the gathering at the funeral <33 No. Dry. Eyes.

25) Steve Saying Goodbye.

Steve and Bucky saying goodbye is one of the saddest for me, as these are two of my favorite characters. In this parting between the two friends, they quote Captain America: The First Avenger and hug it out. Although the others think that Steve will be back from returning the stones in just a minute, Bucky just looks at Steve and he says he’s going to miss him because he knows his best friend better than anyone— Steve isn’t coming back. This moment is so bittersweet (so many bittersweet moments) because I'm happy for Steve (and that end scene makes me cry tears of many emotions). But now he’s an old man, and it just breaks my heart because I know we're never getting Steve Rogers as Captain America back, and I’m gonna miss him. It’s the end of an era. But, at least Steve and Peggy got their dance <33 It’s another full-circle moment.

So, there we have it.

I realize I pretty much summarized the movie. But that’s how good it is. If you stuck with me long enough for those 25 points, I thank you and I hope you enjoyed it. Avengers: Endgame is such an epic movie, both ending an era beautifully and setting the stage for so many more movies to come. After watching this movie in theaters multiple times and then at home more times than I can count, I can very happily say that I am a mess every time— but it’s ‘happily’ because you know that the movie was made well when you feel every moment of it. Endgame shook me, and you bet I’m watching it again on April 26th to celebrate.