Avengers Endgame: How History Defines The Avengers - Wisecrack Edition

Create your own website for FREE ► wix.com/wisecrack
Send us your website for a chance to be featured ► [e-mail]
Superheroes: You keep getting older, and they stay the same. Or do they? Join us as we explore how the Marvel Cinematic Universe remained cohesive while giving its main characters three very different kinds of narratives. We'll also see how these narratives correspond to 3 different philosophies on history.
Subscribe to Wisecrack! ► wscrk.com/SbscrbWC
Join WisecrackPLUS for EXCLUSIVE content! ► wscrk.com/YtWcPls
=== Watch More Episodes! ===
GAME OF THRONES FINALE: Is It Deep or Dumb? ► wscrk.com/2Zb7VNT
The Philosophy of STANLEY PARABLE ► bit.ly/2Xmmkq2
Will WALL-E Come True? (vs. STAR TREK) ► wscrk.com/2Xh4yV2
How Fraudsters Become Heroes ► wscrk.com/2YS0GdO
What Went Wrong: STAR WARS: Episode II - Attack of the Clones ► wscrk.com/2Wi1qen
INTERSTELLAR: Deep or Dumb? ► wscrk.com/2QalGJm
How Conspiracies Changed (Flat Earth, Anti-Vaxxers) ► wscrk.com/2WMNLcc
Why Our Eyes Are Shut ► wscrk.com/2H5JdXK
Store ........... wisecrackstore.com
Twitter ......... / wisecrack
Facebook .... / wisecrackedu
Written by: Matthew Theriault
Directed by: Elizabeth Yarwood
Hosted by: Jared Bauer
Edited by: Mark Potts
Motion Graphics by: Drew Levin
Produced by: Emily Dunbar
© 2019 Wisecrack, Inc.

[@WisecrackEDU]

Hey everyone. A quick correction. The adjective "linear" to describe the work of Marx and Hegel isn't quite right - they both view history as dialectical, which involves a lot of back and forth. But they both, as the video mentions, imagine an overall progress towards an endpoint.

[@ChristopherNicdao]

In other words: they believe that their theses on history are constantly being tested and challenged, which ultimately strengthens them as they're continually proven right.

[@PMRoanhouse]

@Wisecrack I would say comparing Thanos to Hitler is not a good comparison. Thanos for his "evil" only had one goal to kill half the population of the entire universe indiscriminately. Hitler on the other hand wanted to create a master races because of his butt hurt fucked up childhood and personal issues. Lawful Evil vs Chaotic Evil perhaps? Thanos has no view of class or race and care that once his mission was complete the sick would be cared for no matter who. Ehhh just my take on it. But great video as always.

[@danielsmith9130]

Correction: "towards the ENDGAME." HONESTLY, this is a great character analysis of these arcs. Brilliant observations, cheers!

[@albertom6239]

can you also correct the part about the pelennor field? I'd say it's a tie

[@mirosawirzyk5247]

Just a reminder Stalin and Mao were more successful then Hitler...

[@falnica]

You can see this progressions in their powers too. Thor begins with Mjolnir and ends with Stormbreaker, which does basically the same thing, cyclical. Captain America uses shields, often the same shield, and Iron Man improves his suits in every movie.

[@Cristalskulle]

Haaaaaan that's interesting, nice thinking !

[@falnica]

@@Cristalskulle thanks, now lets hope wisecrak offers me a job

[@campkira]

cgi and more cgi and more cgi.....

[@CabezasDePescado]

Except that you are wrong because in this movie there is no progression of anything and is at best inconsistent with what has been seen before. Thor in the previous movie could kill Thanos but in this movie he cant, is ridiculous. Mcu fanboys are the worse, blindly worshipping any shit disney throws in their way.

[@ananimeplace.3808]

Et Cogito Ergo Sum so you just gonna gloss over that he got physically unfit, and was mentally going through depression, ultimately making him unfit to wield the gauntlet and fight Thanos?!?! Did you even watch the movie?

[@taisenscoolstuff732]

Finally an endgame video that's not on Looper, WatchMojo, CBR, etc.

[@ProNorden]

Interesting & perceptive. Maybe the "MCU" is less trivial than I thought. Way To Go. ✌

[@krono5el]

i dont even know what that is

[@or_p5376]

There are a lot, just look for video essay channels that are about movies and specifically about comic book movies- there are a lot of good ones, most of them also did at least one about endgame

[@daydreamer9469]

@@matthewburr774 Comic Book Rant

[@arav13]

Or pornhub.

[@sunjoexys7251]

I would argue that Cap DOES have an arc. in The First Avenger, he was a naive idealist who (somewhat) trusted his own nation to be righteous. He also sacrificed himself to defeat the embodiment of "pure evil". Waking up some 70 years later, he's no longer that naive idealist during WW2, and he learned the hard way that his beloved nation might not be too far from the proto-bully he abhors. Then he somewhat relied on the avengers as his family, and Civil War happened. Cap's character is not unchanging. Over 7 movies, he always struggled to find the immutable righteous cause, and he had to readjust to the ever changing reality like all of us. By the time of Endgame, he's significantly matured and more well-balanced, not because he always has the moral high ground, but because all the struggles and tribulations refined him. In the refining process, he gradually shed the poster boy Cap persona, while gradually becoming a fleshed-out person. That is why his ending is so fitting and fulfilling. Cap's character arc can also be summed up as Projected (propaganda) Hero VS. Real Hero. His individual movies had the biggest impacts in the MCU because they are the most coherent and serialized stories.

[@cynthialivingston4849]

Yes, exactly. Thank you for writing this.

[@m.walker909]

Thank you! I was beginning to think I was the only one that saw this progression.

[@Kinghenhog39]

I agree this is exactly what I thought. He has the best films because he had to go fro. Seeing the world in black and white and after being challenged and changed see that he deserves after all that self sacrifice to have a life of his own.

[@Frencho9]

Indeed kzbin.info/www/bejne/b17aaYFtfdCYapI

[@josiah3820]

As a Huge Cap fan I agree 🔥🖤

[@fakerererererer]

A scene in the first avengers sums up captain America’s arc Loki commands a crowd of people to bow, and an old man confronts him Old man: “not to men like you” Loki: “there are no men like me” Old man: “there are always men like you” Seems fitting that cap was the one who jumped in to save his life

[@colleenross8752]

And that nameless man became an Avenger that day

[@annettesnyder3451]

I got chills when I heard Cap say "Avengers Assemble" during the final battle of Avengers: Endgame... We live in #TheMarvelAge

[@human3213]

He is still trash

[@tcrpgfan]

@@human3213 And you're nothing more than a troll trying to fish for some idiot to argue with just so you can go on some sort of power trip. You're not even trash. Trash is too good of a term to describe you. You're the icky gross stuff at the bottom of a bin that hasn't been cleaned. Now get the fuck outta here before I report you for harassing others.

[@lucidknight3512]

@@tcrpgfan I agree and kinda ironic that his pfp is a DBZ character a "true hero" that it is

[@caelinnis]

I'm so glad you included Thor. So many other essays i've watched gloss over him to focus on cap and tony

[@wowhowbizarre8176]

Alec McInnis yeah Thor goes really un noticed due to his character being seen as kinda boring and then the drastic switch to being comedic but his character arc is really good

[@CelestialDraconis]

Too bad typical comedy Marvel decided to set his character arc up in End Game as a man going through depression after the fact that he couldnt kill Thanos sooner, have his weight be a visual representation of that depression, etc, only to completely drop the ball and have his character reduced to fat jokes throughout the course of the _entire fucking movie._ And folks still wonder why people dont take mental illness seriously. They completely destroyed his character arc, but MCU fanboy normies adore his arc in End Game because they wanted another Ragnarok Thor where he's a complete clown and the butt of all jokes, except this time, it's no where near as good as Ragnarok, because all his character development from that film + Infinity war was thrown out the trash can for lazy comedic relief.

[@monicanandakumar3590]

Thor had the best character arc in the mcu besides Tony. I loved them in endgame.

[@benl.4577]

I really hate how Thor's character to be a sad depressed out of shape god was made shallow by fat joke?

[@boneybaron2508]

@@CelestialDraconis that's mostly true but something I noticed and appreciated in end game is that Tony took the issue quite seriously he still makes jokes but there not mean fat jokes he understood and emphasized with thor in that movie

[@juanmanuelpenaloza9264]

If you look at their fighting, it works the same way. Thor uses a hammer and axe: both require the use of repetitive motion. Cpt America uses a shield: a defensive arm that doesn't waver. Iron Man has repulsor blasts and missiles: projectiles that move straight forward and don't look back.

[@pascalsimioli6777]

You stretched It so hard I felt pain

[@juanmanuelpenaloza9264]

@@pascalsimioli6777 just throwing it out there.

[@marcothemexican5757]

English teachers everywhere are proud of you 👍

[@saraquinones7468]

@@pascalsimioli6777 that's what he said.

[@seanl1164]

Perceptive!

[@cadenglass1387]

" I want to stand up to bullies" Stands up against the most feared army ever. YEP!

[@artoriapendragonidilfitri7414]

Armies are just bigger bullies.

[@ouroborosi]

To bad he didn't stand up when a bully used his words As so far the other captain Caroll has been the opposite the unchanging bully

[@beanplays129]

@surfitlive it was the 2014 cap :)

[@itsboyaknow]

That’s not what he said tho..

[@Lucas5by5]

The....US army?

[@inazuma3gou]

10:50 Cap's refusal to sacrifice Vision to defeat Thanos makes a good contrast with Dr. Strange's decision to let Tony sacrifice himself. "When it comes to saving you, or the kid, or the Time Stone, I will not hesitate to let either of you die." Came true.

[@Chenso2099]

I just realized something: Captain America finally embodied all the American ideals; that of freedom, liberty, and most importantly, the *pursuit of happiness.* In the ending of Endgame, he finally made the choice to stick with Peggy instead of endlessly serving like he used to. He really became the American ideal.

[@human3213]

He is representation of crap. Captain bitrica. The spotlight stealer

[@alejandrovillalba3143]

@@human3213 Says no argument strawman

[@shadowling77777]

@@human3213 Wat

[@twisterthemonk]

And the fullest representation of US propaganda

[@rickkroll]

​@@twisterthemonkExactly. Capitalism

[@Wyvern_Rosfield]

Shout out to Adam Kovic for that voice over. I can hear your depression a mile away, friend.

[@p4l4d1n7]

for a second i thought i had another vid open xD

[@roneyandrade6287]

Why would he say that, he hates religion

[@merten0083]

RIP Adam "the Adam" Kovic. 2007-2012.

[@ledzeppelinfan1001]

TIME STAMP PLEASE

[@jackkuehneman9300]

@@roneyandrade6287 I don't think he hates religion, he has a quote from the Quran on his arm

[@DJDannyOJ]

The Big Three arcs in terms of Math equations: Cap: y=c Tony: y=x Thor: y=sin(x)

[@ChilsonTV]

THE TRUE ARC OF REALITY: 1 + e^(pi*i) = 0

[@anchanmario3024]

OH FUCK YOU NERD i don't want to see math in youtube comments

[@adwipal]

Thor should rather be y = cos(x)

[@subscribefornoreason7390]

@@anchanmario3024 They're not a nerd. They are just smarter than you.

[@thehorseformerlywithoutana2522]

Hulk: -y=e^x- y=ln(x)

[@AvatarofBragi]

I was deeply satisfied with Endgame and specifically the end of Cap and Tony's stories -- and I'm thrilled to have Thor join the Guardians of the Galaxy

[@gustavowadaslopes2479]

@surfitlive Asgardian guardian

[@gustavowadaslopes2479]

@@davidsarmiento8060 Asgardian Guardian's Ass

[@trevorrogers95]

Mister Cardholder We’ll see. Thor 4 love and thunder will take place before Guardians 3.

[@chrissonofpear1384]

LONG WAIT to Guardians 3, right?

[@jamesburgess2k]

I really hope the MCU's Reed Richards becomes as great as he is in the comics

[@zetamangads]

Which one rhe ultimate or the 616 one

[@darthsader7089]

Good Idea or Bad: Get John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic and Emily Blunt as Invisible Woman.

[@seermayton-el3488]

I mean I want to see a Dr. Doom movie as well

[@kamenrideromega1]

Married the hottest woman in the world but only care about science?

[@garrettmercado7074]

Seer Mayton-El this MCU’s version of Doom should be awesome

[@vovacat1797]

There's one thing that changed about Cap, and we see it in Endgame... The elevator scene. It just feels like this Steve is more wise, more experienced than the younger version who would just punch his way out of the elevator... This Steve ended the debate calmly and easily with one phrase... Hail Hydra!

[@donmac4239]

Although I like your assessment, this is really a case of being low key for a critical mission so as to not complicate the mission further, hence the deceptive approach. It's hard to say what Steve would do if this mission does not involve being discreet, but I would think he wouldn't want to use "Hail Hydra" just because he's more experienced now. It really goes against his character...

[@donmac4239]

@Christian Tompkins Well I knew that. I was just saying that if this wasn't in an urgent mission needing to be discreet, we would not willingly say "Hail Hydra" even if he knew it would make the mission easier.

[@donmac4239]

@Christian Tompkins I'm not sure you understand what I said LOL

[@donmac4239]

@Christian Tompkins Let me put it this way: Captain America knows this mission is critical, time sensitive, and needs to be discrete so he uses one thing he knows would accomplish this, by saying "Hail Hydra". BUT if this mission is not critical, time sensitive, and needing to be discrete, he would not say "Hail Hydra" just to make this easier. Just not his character...

[@donmac4239]

@Christian Tompkins Yup, you didn't understand what I'm saying then. You're exactly saying what I said, but in reply to the original OP, I just added that it's not experience that made him use "Hail Hydra" but the urgency of the mission, because his character won't say that in a normal mission.

[@imcintyre01]

Hulk/Bruce: learned to love himself for who he really is and got people to love him. Widow: got herself a family (through the avengers) Hawkeye: got to be a likeable and respected character despite using nothing but a bow and arrow.

[@silviahannak3213]

And Loki will maybe change himself by saving the (sacred) timeline ? What about the others ?

[@ManDoggy]

Lmao Adam Kovich's voice is unmistakable

[@Half_Finis]

I loved hearing him haha

[@VinceroAlpha]

That was the best breakdown of the MCU/character arcs so far and explains why people love this franchise! Keep up the good work.

[@CabezasDePescado]

People love anything.

[@VinceroAlpha]

Et Cogito Ergo Sum what exactly do you mean by that?

[@VinceroAlpha]

@aydooknow that's what I figured but i thought it would be a good chance for him to explain himself and add to the conversation. But I guess not

[@CabezasDePescado]

@@VinceroAlpha It means that no matter the quality of any movie that is released, some people will always love it. Look at all the love Endgame gets, and is not even a good movie. Infinity War was much better.

[@VinceroAlpha]

@@CabezasDePescado why was Infinity War a better movie?

[@kennethwright5664]

Cap's lack of change shines a light on the changes and progression of Tony and Thor (and the others). He's that stable force that gives us better perspective on the others.

[@human3213]

He s trash

[@vanblitz7009]

@@human3213 Nope

[@huell938]

@@human3213 dawg stop replying to everyone saying cap is trash, it's sad

[@Levyathyn]

"The snap cost Thanos everything, and it did the same for Tony." Actually, I'd argue the exact inverse of that. It's true, Stark died at the end of Endgame, but the play shows the contrast between him and Thanos, not their similarities. Where Thanos sacrificed everything to get the stones and use them, Stark had the option to just let everything go and live after taking the stones, with inherent risks in that, or snap and die. I'd wager that instead of it costing Tony everything, it cost everything Tony. everyone gets to live, everyone is back and in a full universe ready to rebuild, including the family he loves and all of his friends, it's just Tony that's gone. He literally sacrificed the exact opposite of what Thanos did, ensuring that his daughter would live for instance, losing only himself.

[@3Rayfire]

Well yes, but that's not actually contradictory. Keep in mind the most significant thing Yinsen said to Tony when he found out he didn't have a family, "So...you're the man who has everything, and who has nothing." By the time of Endgame, Tony has the beloved wife, the family, and peace. He had everything, except what it cost for that peace was too great. So in the end Tony sacrificed not just himself, but the ability to enjoy the everything he had gained. I think it also ties in to what Tony told Pepper later on in that movie, "I shouldn't be here. Unless it was for a reason." From Tony's perspective, he was living on borrowed time anyway, because it was his sins that put him in that cave, it was his bomb that should've killed him. But he was able to survive and become a hero, have a family, and see his Dad again, and then when the moment came down to it to save the universe...that was the reason. It was time to pay that debt to Yinsen for saving his life. "Don't waste it Stark." Stark died and lived a significantly more worthwhile second life than his first. Which compares to Thanos who when given a second chance with the Infinity Gauntlet was going to be worse than the first time.

[@lykaparagas9079]

Pighati😢

[@Mega10026]

A wisecrack video on endgame . . . Let me grab something to eat.

[@breadchips4803]

Megan Lambert Walkers Max Strong Perfect with beer Jalapeño and cheese Flavour potato crisps Extra hot 🔥 🔥 🔥

[@Mega10026]

@@breadchips4803 pizza would do it for me.

[@breadchips4803]

Megan Lambert Meat feast with spicy beef?

[@Mega10026]

@@breadchips4803 I'm vegan

[@Crippycooke]

Megan Lambert I literally put the kettle on

[@TheDeathmail]

"All more successful than Loki" BURNNNNN!!!!!!!

[@ViolettaVie]

Talk about laughing out loud. Oh, that got me.

[@TheDeathmail]

@surfitlive Technically speaking, all Zemo did was take advantage of situations that were already being messed up. He put a video there when he saw Steve and Tony were going to be in the same room. His only real plan was to frame Bucky and then show Tony a video of Bucky killing his parents. Everything else was just made on the spot and taking advantage of situations.

[@EvilSupahFly]

@@TheDeathmail True, but even his improvisation shows he's more successful than Loki, though I think Loki as a character got a bit of a raw deal in Ragnarok.

[@tiogaboyz4487]

Noooooooooo Loki 😄

[@itsboyaknow]

TheDeathmail You’re wrong. Zemo states in the movie that he had working on his plan for over a year.

[@liansmith4038]

"Blue furry remake of Dances with Wolves." I'm dying.

[@mattchew6426]

I got chills when I heard Cap say "Avengers Assemble" during the final battle of Avengers: Endgame... We live in #TheMarvelAge

[@RedYoshi-ct1wx]

Amen to that.

[@mitthrawnuruodo1730]

Honestly, this movie does what dark Phoenix should have done, have history and buildup.

[@Daniel_B79]

Every X-Men movie is better than this.

[@rjofusetsudzin8011]

@@Daniel_B79 Thats good one :P

[@omit4727]

@@Daniel_B79 dafuq??? I hope you are joking

[@shadowsovereign4948]

Omit its a tactic people use to get a rise out of people, but technically it is his opinion so...🤷🏼‍♂️

[@campkira]

20 fucking year..... so old friend can become peaceful.....good message just terrible work..... I did enjoy dark Phoenix.... while end game had 2 hrs of bullshit and one hour long fight......

[@Optic69]

Should've examined Hulk and Bruce having the same Philosophy as Carl Jung regarding the shadow self

[@ttaaddoo111]

And that ideal personality development is the integration of ones own oppositional traits into a harmonious whole, as I recall.

[@Chenso2099]

Nice! Found out about Jung recently in the Immortal Hulk comic. Did a bit of research on it and got the gist of it. I also got a brief look at it during my College course. Very interesting stuff. Would like to hear Wisecrack talk about that with the Hulk, especially with what we’ve learned in Endgame.

[@mickeynotmouse]

Alan watts has entered the chat

[@saucypupper3347]

Wiscrack already did a video with Jung on Star Wars: Episode 8. Probably doesn't want to do the same thing again.

[@hamhockbeans]

Interesting because Jack Kirby just made the Hulk and Banner based on a combination of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the Frankenstein's monster.

[@themadtitan7603]

I love how the two main characters of the MCU Steve and Tony, are parallels of each other as well as their arcs' tajectories. Steve realizes that his intense, routinic life of fighting and war might be a bit unhealthy he always put people's needs and safety before his and never really got a life and his character progression is realizing his honorable but slightly unhealthy life of fighting and getting a life with Peggy while Tony lived his life (though not always a happy one), had all the money in the world as a narccistic self-centered playboy, learned to become a better person and became a hero, saved the world with the Avengers, failed to protect the Earth and lost the person he views as a son, and after starting a family and being relatively stable and happy for 5 years finally got a chance to avenge it and give his life, something he wasn't exactly ready to do (unlike dutiful Captain America) but accepted his fate and was assured the people he loved are safe and he can finally rest.

[@Avenus112]

Thor began on high, and lost everything to learn humility, service, and what it's like to still be good in spite of all his pain. He was brought low, but not defeated, destroyed or made any less for it. Rogers began at the lowest state but always had unshakeable integrity and wisdom, altruism and leadership. He gained an endowment that enabled him to direct his moral character and he learned how to keep his moral charcter in spite of everything he suffered. Stark began with an endownment of riches, intelligence and charisma, but never learned wisdom or attunement to his surroundings. He gained all the wisdom and power of the universe- and in the moment he could have abused it all he sacrificed everything in its defense.

[@Chris-jw8vm]

Captain America does have a character arc. He learned to not blindly trust his nations authority and he realised that the world was big enough for him to step back and have a happy ending.

[@LupineShadowOmega]

Except he never blindly trusted his nation's authority. He literally stops being a propaganda tool in the first movie to go be a soldier.

[@campkira]

He is fucking child.... what he did will cause inversion.Marvel arc is not everyone is perfect but they will be fun to watch..

[@o76923]

He had a flat arc, that doesn't mean he didn't have an arc.

[@uncomfortablecat]

Make a wisecrack edition on The Truman Show. Please.

[@theconductoresplin8092]

Yes please

[@celex6010]

Would be great

[@M12GProductions]

Pretty sure they did.

[@theconductoresplin8092]

@@M12GProductions ???

[@uncomfortablecat]

@@M12GProductions No, they didn't. It was Alien's Guide not Wisecrack Edition.

[@rustyshackleford2950]

Thor: Hero's Journey Cap: Flat Character Arc Iron Man: Positive Character Arc

[@kiwani4470]

Joseph Campbell

[@user-sg1se8cl7l]

Cap is not a flat arc

[@human3213]

1800 captain bitrica is trash

[@lucidknight3512]

@@human3213 Troll

[@vanblitz7009]

@@human3213 Troll

[@geolitz2665]

Cap had a huge arc. He went from a naive patriot following orders to a self aware leader defining the rules of conduct and assembling the Avengers. Steve’s arc compliments Iron Man’s. Tony begins at the opposite side of the spectrum. He’s an extremely selfish egomaniac who transforms into a team player able to lay down his life for the greater good.

[@li-limandragon9287]

Yeah Cap and Tony switch sides in CW, Tony is the man trying to keep the team together and Cap is the reckless one.

[@aaronrachiele5521]

"Naive Patriot just following orders" ... No. That is not who Chris Evens portrayed in these films. Everything he did he did it for others. Not for his country, or his orders. But for the good of man. At both the beginning and end of his first movie, he showed that he is willing to sacrifice his physical health for the well being of others. And he also denied his last orders when he went in the ice. No offense, but you got that wrong. Also, 8:26

[@geolitz2665]

Aaron Rachiele that was part of his journey. When you are young you are naive. I believe you are confusing naive with stupid. I believe you are also confusing the spectrum of his journey with what the character represents to you. He began as a patriot as well. That is the whole premise of the character. After he saw the corruption inherent in the system in Winter Soldier and Civil War he tossed his star spangled shield aside and removed the patriotic elements from his outfit. When he was a man without a country in Infinity War his attire was muted and the star had been removed. He is the spirit of America. When he helped rebuild America after the snap he donned the stars and stripes again. That is also why he traded in his futuristic, corporatized uniform at the beginning of Winter Soldier for the IDEALS his WWII uniform symbolized at the end of that movie.

[@geolitz2665]

Li-Li Mandragon I don't believe Cap was ever reckless. Where in his story do you see him being reckless?

[@3Rayfire]

I'm not sure Cap was ever naive even as you state it. "There are guys laying down their lives, I got no right to do less than them." Steve personifies the type of person who runs towards the danger, but he understood that it was danger. After he got the serum he was basically told he was too valuable to actually be put in danger. His patriotic duty then became for the purposes of drumming up war bonds, because it was the only duty he could do. But Steve actually wasn't the guy who follows orders even in the beginning. He actually truly became Captain America because he violated orders and went to rescue the captured troops, which shows the singular unchanging quality that carried him throughout his trilogy and through the Avengers Tetrology. "I never really fit in anywhere, even in the army. *My faith's in people, I guess. Individuals.* And I'm happy to say that, for the most part, they haven't let me down. Which is why I can't let them down either." Steve was always willing to violate orders to save people. In First Avenger it was Bucky and his unit, in Winter Soldier it was the world at the expense SHIELD but while sparing Bucky, and in Civil War it was going against the Accords and even going against the Avengers to save Bucky. Now one thing that did change, when he saved Bucky's unit he submitted himself for disciplinary action for violating orders, whereas by Infinity War he was past apologizing or asking for permission. Steve is patriotic but he was never jingoistic. He did however lack self awareness. Which he gained over time. But he and Tony are definitely the inverse of one another.

[@krystalshelby]

me: I'm so sick of Endgame analyzing videos also me: oooooh Wisecrack has a vid about Endgame

[@VanillaBearMD3]

So glad you mentioned Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology. Just got done listening to it on auidobook. Its read by Neil himself, he has such a good voice for it.

[@android19willpwn]

yeah, he has an absolutely amazing voice for storytelling

[@simontmn]

My son calls it the Big Book of Norse God War Crimes :p

[@EvilSupahFly]

@@simontmn Can I get one narrated by Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones? Neil Gaiman is cool, but is trumped by the other two. 😜

[@Brickfrog427]

That description of Captain America makes me actively sad and melancholic for the lack of a good morally clear film Superman...

[@benl.4577]

Damn you're spot on with my feelings as well.

[@human3213]

Superman is fucked up trash and boring Captain bitchrica is no more different

[@benl.4577]

@@human3213 bro you don't need to like the same things as we do, but you don't need to voice out your hatred either.

[@lucidknight3512]

@@benl.4577 Yep

[@dominiqueodom3099]

"The courage of the people defending the Plains of Wakanda and the ones Storming the Beaches of Normandy" God damn thats good

[@yasao_art]

Tony is described as a Futurist and Robert Downey Jr. has an album called "The Futurist". Coincidence? I think not.

[@rohanalias9053]

Hawkeye calls him the futurist in civil war

[@moatplay]

More than anything I’m just impressed with how the MCU stuck the landing. When so many studios can’t seem to be able to tell a compelling genre film Marvel has been able to do it consistently. I’m more impressed that Endgame was a good film at all let alone such a great film.

[@tcrpgfan]

I think it's because Marvel knows that in order to truly succeed they need to get people on board willing to work together and to let those same people actually be creative.

[@moatplay]

@@tcrpgfan Someone at Marvel Studios knows what they’re doing.

[@r4mpy]

id like to point out that the writers once stated that tony’s actual superpower wasnt his intelligence but rather, his ability to adapt to the situation. its been shown in many cases including that iron man 1 scene where he built his first suit to escape that situation

[@Gonzalo-sl7uk]

I think about Tony every day... Thor and Cap as well, because their arcs resonate with me so well, but they nailed it with Tony

[@monkeseeaction21987]

Now this is an avengers video that has actual content.

[@DiegoBQZ]

"I remember telling that was we needed was a suit of armor around the world! Wether or not it infringed our 'precious freedoms', that's what we NEEDED!" THAT right there is the essential point of understanding the Cap/IronMan dicotomy. Tony seeing the world as a miniscule grain of sand in the ocean after the events of The Avengers, realizing that the universe is so big, we are straight up not prepared, our freedoms are not that important anymore, because a common enemy (Loki, Ultron, Thanos) will undoubtedly unify the world against it. "Aliens, gods, and I'm just a man in a can", in Iron Man 3. While Cap sees the world as a collective of individuals forming groups, factions with agendas, originally thought as just as a black and white world (Nazi Germany and the rest of the world not allied with them) that eventually fragmented into the 21th century society he gets launched into, now realizing that the best course of action is not fixing the world from the outside threat, is about saving it from itself and their own 'Hydras' that might be still lurking in the shadows. "Yes, we compromised. Sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well. But we did it so people could be free. This isn't freedom, this is fear", in Winter Soldier Is the classic smaller/bigger picture debacle: "is it more important to care about what's coming for us and unite at the cost of freedom? OR is it better to make the world a better so place the people take their own decisions and gain TRUE freedom at the cost of not seeing what's beyond the horizon?"

[@Chenso2099]

Patricio Borquez And it’s great how they don’t disregard the importance of both. That’s why we need people like Tony and Steve to remind us of that, even if we might disagree. These two are fantastic characters.

[@De_La_Soto]

It's like that infamous final episode of the Powerpuff Girls

[@SP-pn7xx]

*Steve and Tony's arcs actually mirror one another.* As Steve becomes disillusioned with the state, he becomes more and more Libertarian throughout Winter Soldier and Civil War.

[@joycongod4831]

Wow...Of course the end of civil war never happend Why would we ever think about that?

[@ChuckJansenII]

Iron Man, Captain America and Thor are as well written characters as I have seen. Marvel has done an excellent job over the decades. There is so much they have done right and to do this over 22 films is astounding.

[@theguyshadows]

"A battle so epic it makes the battle of Pielinor Fields look like a small skirmish." You take that back. You've gone entirely too far.

[@M12GProductions]

Never, that Endgame fight was orgasmic.

[@aashutoshbhatt6535]

theguyshadows 😂😂

[@ThejusRao]

Absolutely not, Endgame's was far better.

[@Chenso2099]

Are we having a...Civil War? Lol

[@TheDeathmail]

Wait. In Thor 1, he lost his brother... so it was "On Top of the world, loss, wins, still suffers" in all 3 Thor movies...

[@FragmentJack]

TheDeathmail It’s a continuous cycle.

[@TheDeathmail]

@@FragmentJack Yah, it fits with the theme he mentioned... he just happened to forget that point...

[@lancetan7699]

This is one of the best video you guys have made. I love the analysis of their character arc progression!

[@gabrielsaucedo8467]

Wow this was one of the best videos this channel has ever put out

[@ironvlogger9712]

Well done. Best Endgame video of them all. Love it 3000💝

[@CircusOfFive]

stop it! you gonna make me cry. Damn now I am crying.....

[@ironvlogger9712]

@@CircusOfFive I'm crying too.....you aren't the only one 😭😭😭💔

[@ironvlogger9712]

@The Bandog Excellent!

[@itsboyaknow]

It isn’t even an Endgame video........

[@feanor411]

I loved the reversal between Tony & Steve. At the beginning, Tony is selfish, unable to make big sacrifices for the sake of others. ("It's mine, you can't have it," kind of distills this perfectly). Steve is selfless, unable to think of himself first, always 'on duty.' In the end Tony has learned to sacrifice, making huge ones to ensure the safety of, literally, the whole freaking universe. Cap has developed a healthier sense of self-regard, where he is able to walk away from the battle and live life for himself. Of course it must have helped that he knew how things were going to turn out in the end!

[@zambaks-9014]

I always enjoy your videos, every time I feel like i want to re-read some ideas that I read back in the day, and having something to talk about.

[@SimonMaderazo]

This was so well done and well researched. Great job!

[@Adrian-zd4cs]

Thank you for this!!

[@justinhuang5183]

"And not just because it culminates with a battle so epic it makes Pelennor Fields look like a small skirmish" [Lord of the Rings Fans] wait whut?

[@bananasaur5209]

Exactly. This guys doesn't know what he's talking about

[@TheMcThorpey]

Pelennor fields epic seige / feild battle vs endgames cluster fuck game of pass the parcel

[@radioactivedetective6876]

Oh, thank goodness! Finally I've found a comment on this! No disrespect to the avengers assemble battle of Endgame, but the comparison was just meaningless. The entire ethos and tone and themes of LOTR is so very very different from the MCU I don't even see how & why it was brought up at all.

[@dannypeixoto8435]

Worth the wait! Great work as always Wisecrack!

[@DynamicFilms26]

Loved this episode, thank you for all your hard work :)

[@rialyandriamiseza9814]

Thor's arc is about self acceptance Captain America's arc is about integrity Iron Man's arc is about empathy

[@archetype8326]

Yes, they did make satisfying conclusions to those characters , especially steve and tony

[@ananyanwu]

Thor would hopefully be back in shape again in Guardians 3. Let's wait for it. Let's wait for Thor vs. Warlock.

[@clydu91]

@@ananyanwu Why is his shape so goddamn important to everybody ? People are so shallow.

[@DANCERcow]

Thors arc doesn't really exist right? Since he'll be back on top in his next film

[@celuler22]

@@clydu91 because gods are supposed to be perfection

[@Los-galapagos]

Snehil Shrey too bad what fiege wants isn’t the same narrative as what 90% of mcu fans actually care about

[@ricklogan7889]

You've given me a lot to think about & a chance to eventually tell better stories. Thank You.

[@nishikaze]

In the end Steve did change and it was Tony who changed him. Tony, who saw the bigger picture who fought hard to save the universe from a future only he was cursed to see. Tony, who actually faced consequences for his mistakes and learned from them. Tony, who refused to stop living just because he became a hero. He didn't stop, not once, even when his friends and lover turned against him, he kept moving forward, unable to stand still. In the end it was Tony who finally moved Steve by creating a life, a family, while still being a hero then by making the ultimate sacrifice despite everything he had to lose. This was why Steve finally 'retired' and lived the life he lost when he went into the ice. Tony took advantage of his second chance, Steve went and made his own. Steve, the 'Man Out of Time' finally rejoined the timeline and started living again.

[@akiraakiraakiraakira]

damn this is what i waited for after watching endgame! and thank you for not mentioning the name of a certain show that hurt my feelings

[@walkinmn]

A song of fast and furious?

[@wingnut4942]

The way captain America changes throughout the movies is how we view him and how his views apply in each movie differently

[@J_Starr007]

Great vid and great in depth examination

[@gokurichardson]

Ty for the great video!

[@kaidenhinds9922]

Great video, but I think I disagree with the whole Cap section. Sure, Cap’s morals never really change and he’s always known for being super courageous and what not, but I think there are other ways where he does change quite a bit throughout the films, such as him becoming a lot more cynical and realizing the world isn’t always black and white

[@benl.4577]

Yes his views of the world change, but in essence, his character has no change whatsoever. He does what you most expect him to do and he does it for every single circumstance. For both winter soldier and endgame, he does what he thinks is right. The only time he does something not super noble is the end of endgame, because he now feels like he's done his service, and that his time as a hero is finished.

[@human3213]

He s crap

[@lucidknight3512]

@@human3213 Troll

[@vanblitz7009]

@@human3213 Ok, Captain America Hater.

[@mekman4]

Cap is my co-pilot! Thanks for the insight as always! Great Stuff!

[@ssamberkar]

Superb breakdown of the characters and especially admire the citations to the philosophers. Loved the voice-over as well. Instantly earned a sub, NOT that it's a _huge_ thing but 1 video earning you a subscriber; still think its pretty rare in 2019. Keep up the good work.

[@m0b5pawn94]

One of the best channels on this whole platform. Thank you guys!

[@kasakon]

I think you just made me actually like capt. as a character. Seeing his “arc” from this perspective let’s me understand him better. Also this just made me love Tony more, I now understand why I relate and always enjoyed his view of the world.

[@CaloyEdits]

Thanos: i am inevitable. Tony: i am ironman. Groot: i am groot.

[@SOLIDSNAKES35]

This video is fantastic. Great job guys!!

[@MrJato93]

Wow... I love you wisecrack. This was amazing!

[@fangsabre]

I highly recommend checking out the video on Goku and his character arch by I believe the channel TotallyNotMark. It talks about the character archetype of the Flat Good character. While you aay Captain America is more of an exception than the rule I would like to point out three other characters who roughly fit the same character arc archetype: Son Goku from Dragonball, Superman from DC comics, and All Might from My Hero Academia. All three characters I believe show that a the flat good character arc is not inherently boring, especially in the case of All Might and Captain America.

[@fangsabre]

@Christian Tompkins I would argue that Goku transitions from Anti Hero to full blown Hero in Dragonball Z. Between the saiyan saga through the Freiza saga hes shown to be pretty unambiguously against the evil shown by the antagonists (Freiza is another good example of a flat character), and in the Cell saga hes more of a mentor, and then through the Buu saga hes the hero again. I can see where he was an anti hero in the original Dragonball series and even in the Tournament of Power arc in Super. But overall hes more hero than Anti Hero at this point. Hell, even Vegeta is barely an "anti" hero at this point

[@fangsabre]

@Christian Tompkins ehhh, Freiza is more like an evil trixter now. In Resurection F they proved that they could kill him again, so they make a deal with him during the tournament of power to be part of their team. I suppose you could call him an anti hero in the classical sense. A bad person doing a good thing because of his own reasons and in his own way. But if you're going to use that definition then I would not classify Goku as an anti hero. Yeah hes naive and tends to care more about fighting than justice, but hes not a bad guy doing good for his own reasons. Vegeta in the Freiza and Android sagas (and the first part of the cell saga) is still not a great person, hes prideful and selfish but hes fighting Freiza because he hates Freiza more and he fights the androids with the good guys. Goku has never been on the bad side at all. If I were to use the DnD alignment chart for Freiza, Vegeta, and Goku I would say Freiza is a flat chaotic evil. Even when hes fighting with the good guys hes doing it purely for personal gain and openly displays his disdain for the Z fighters, even attempting to make other deals to serve his own purposes and throw the Z fighters under the bus. I would say Goku is Neutral good. Hes actually pretty consistent so I wouldnt call him Chaotic. Hes not true neutral either since its pretty obvious he does care about innocent people. And Vegeta goes from Neutral Evil, to True neutral, to chaotic neutral, to neutral good from (respectively) the saiyan saga, freiza saga, early cell saga and Buu saga, to finally the end of the Buu saga and Dragonball Super.

[@JD-ug9gv]

I think you missed Cap's arc from selfless to a selfish end, "I thought I'd try some of that life Tony was always telling me to get". For me, the most satisfying elements of endgame was the juxtaposition of Tony's selfish to selfless and Cap selfless to selfish arc resolutions and how these were masterfully setup throughout the entire mcu. I believe the russo's even said as much in this breakdown kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5_Gc3ioltmcl80

[@DustinHarms]

Man, you guys are always here with the top-notch content. Such a great channel.

[@nafisa.t13]

I freaking LOVE this analysis. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. You guys just got a subscriber. The academic approach just feeds my soul. No wonder I love Cap so much. I mean, I knew about how he doesn't change even as the world changes around him, but that approach to history also defines pretty much how I view the world. There's nothing new under the sun. This is AWESOME, thanks. And yeah, I liked the end to each character's narrative in Endgame. Absolutely zero complaints.

[@DanielSambar]

We’re so close to overtaking Avatar... come on, we’re so close.

[@themalicous1]

Daniel Sambar its difficult considering the excessive competition left and right

[@Chenso2099]

We must all join together and watch the movie again. There should be a movement of sorts, where everyone gets a ticket to go watch the movie one last time. If we do that, me might overtake it. I know it sounds silly, but I think it would be fun to see Endgame have the well-deserved top spot.

[@campkira]

2 hrs of bullshit and 1 hr long fight.... and you want it to overtaking avatar while at least had some story.....

[@pokeninja24]

@@campkira "of bullshit"? I hate ambiguous hate for the sake of being counter culture, please expand your mind to appreciate nuance and character in a way that isn't spoon feeding narrative. But as always your entitled to your opinion, just wanted to voice mine.

[@katsam4457]

Why is it so important that EndGame beat Avatar?

[@chriscueva1866]

Great job on pulling from Hickmans Avengers run.

[@Rivers727]

That was beautiful video.

[@onkardogra1011]

Is there any other channel that makes beautiful and deep videos like this. This is what KZbin needs more of.

[@cainiddrie1482]

Yeah totally :) "Movies with Mikey" He's just awesome "Linsey Ellis" Especially her later stuff "Movie Bob" When he does a Really that Good or The Big Picture or In Bob We Trust "Folding ideas" When he talks about films especially his later stuff "Everything Great About" He does great breakdowns after doing the opposite of Cinema Sins Lessons from the screen play Especially if you like film as an art form The Closer Look A little judgemental but getting better with every video

[@rohanalias9053]

Full fat videos too

[@LikeTheBuffalo]

I liked the bright colours and the movement.

[@dahaka30]

"it's like poetry it rhymes"

[@laputa543]

Wow, love your video, such a great review!

[@anthonyciancio5727]

Your videos are so insightful and I just wanna to thank you

[@Osiris064]

I've always felt the that Steve Rodgers really just didnt like being told what to do. When he was in the army he disobeyed in order to fight hydra (which is fine btw, just an example) He wanted Shield to be dissolved during Winter Soilder instead of letting Fury take charge of it. Then he doesnt like the accords because he would be told what to do and wouldn't get to order the Avengers around. Just a thought

[@stevenscott2136]

He said he hated bullies -- bullies LOVE telling people what to do. So that makes perfect sense.

[@ATHMedia1]

Shoutout to whoever made the thumbnail, it's clean. And dope vid as always!

[@HighPriestofLemuria]

This gets even weirder when you realize it's a story about Thor, Hephaestus and Hercules. Along with one of the golden automatons that Hephaestus made, Leto goddess of secrets, Aphrodite, a heavily underpowered Apollo, Janus, Horus, and Hermes. It's crazy.

[@oliverr-v6670]

Amazing video guys

[@LordWargasm]

7:23 Was that Adam Kovic of Funhaus doing the voiceover?

[@alexgaffney6781]

Vulgar display of gaming i was just thinking the same thing, it really sounds like him but there is no credit in the description

[@LordWargasm]

@@alexgaffney6781 an image of him popped straight inyo my head as soon as i heard that voice. I didnt even realize it was so easily identifiable. That or i watch way to much google trends lol

[@Ishabaal]

Oh shit I thought it sounded familiar, nice catch

[@jun3jun3]

Adam was in one of their most recent podcasts so it probably was

[@pinoyguy75]

I thought the exact same thing!

[@turtleboy1188]

It's easy to forget how smart these movies could be sometimes when they keep coming and coming and just pouring down on you

[@jasonbean1176]

An excellent analysis, much appreciated.:)

[@TheWuschi]

I do love the fact, how many philosophical, political, sociological smart publications are and have been made about MCU and all the other meanwhile highly evolved and developped worlds of my childhood's comicbooks (I am 60). When I remember back, how my parents used to (mildly) condemn my passion for comics ("Why don't you read something GOOD instead?") and how I had to carefully hide my well-thumbed booklets from the eyes of my teachers, I would like them all to see an analysis like this one! Great!!

[@zeth609]

This video has interesting concepts, and although right, I think it fails to understand the character growth over the 10 years in each of the character arcs, neglecting the conflicts in each one of their stories. Going from selfish to selfless in an uncorrectible world and unsolvable problems (Tony), the selfnessles and the struggle to fit in, to finally understand that sometimes it's ok to do the selfish thing (Cap), or how to step outside of destiny's shadow and to create one's own (Thor). Each of them was confronted with their own persona and broke it to achieve growth. It's not in the end that they shined, but in their struggle.

[@dodgers4275]

You guys should do a philosophy of The Maxx!

[@georgecampbell3687]

Joshua Morelion Yes! That show was a trip when I first saw it.

[@darwinxavier3516]

STOP! I have a hostage! *squish You killed my hostage! How did you know that was a cpr dummy? Uhhhhh....dummy?

[@voicesinhead3577]

Can’t wait for the new black mirrors season review !!! Love your channel

[@jediknight131]

great film essay!

[@ALEJOwhatever]

It is really interesting to think that Thanos and Tony decided to sacrifice what they loved in order to save everything. (Sometimes I think the Russo Brothers and everyone else at Marvel Studios didn't intend some of the coincidences and dept that people have found in Endgame)

[@Neopulse00]

I don't think Stark was wrong in his Randian ways. He is an individualist, but being a Libertarian is also promoting Voluntarism. He can own what he owns, but the WHOLE time he donated and promoted helping people voluntarily without the force of the state. It's an ideal way of promoting living, personal responsibility and helping others whenever one can. He even promoted higher learning and donated to projects (seen in the filma) to students who desire to help people as much as he has. He was the mentor of Peter Parker and built him a suit selflessly. He was a noble man and an example to follow.

[@hvitekristesdod]

Great video!! I agree with all of your awesome insights 😎

[@tushnim_5996]

Honestly Hickman's runs on the 616 Avengers is just such a great display of who Tony and Cap are.