Why Avengers: Endgame Couldn't Beat Infinity War

Despite satisfyingly ending the MCU’s Infinity Saga, it was always going to be difficult for Avengers: Endgame to surpass Avengers: Infinity War.

Summary

• Avengers: Endgame had a higher level of anticipation than Infinity War, which made it difficult for the film to live up to the insane expectations set by its predecessor.
•  Infinity War's setup was easier than Endgame's conclusion, as closing chapters often struggle to provide satisfying endings. Endgame's finality led to a bloated runtime and the feeling that the film should have ended multiple times despite being a satisfying ending.
•  Infinity War's ending was genuinely shocking, while Endgame's ending lacked the same punch. The shocking cliffhanger of Infinity War left a lasting impact, unlike Endgame's neatly wrapped-up conclusion. Additionally, Endgame lacked a proper villain that could match Thanos from Infinity War due to Thanos from the former being from the past.

While Avengers: Endgame satisfyingly ended the MCU's Infinity Saga, it failed to surpass the lofty heights of Avengers: Infinity War. Initially announced as Avengers: Infinity War - Part I and Part II, the third and fourth Avengers movies were always expected to be a two-part epic to round out the first saga of Marvel Studios' cinematic universe. Eventually retitled as Infinity War and Endgame, both movies lived up to the hype of culminating 11 years of storytelling that is only set to continue with

The excitement leading up to Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame especially was unlike anything ever seen in modern Hollywood, a level of excitement that may not even be eclipsed by the wait for Avengers: Secret Wars' release date. Despite the overwhelming anticipation for Avengers: Endgame, the film was not classed as a home run success like its predecessor. While Avengers 4 still broke box office records and was very well received by critics and audiences alike, there were a handful of factors as to why Endgame was never going to be able to live up to the standards set by Avengers: Infinity War.

Avengers: Endgame Had More Anticipation Than Infinity War

The first reason as to why Avengers: Endgame could not beat Avengers: Infinity War was the former's level of anticipation. Avengers: Infinity War was sufficiently anticipated, yet many knew in the back of their minds that the story would not be continued until the fourth installment. Given this situation, Avengers: Infinity War ended on a huge cliffhanger which made the wait for Avengers: Endgame nigh on unbearable.

As has often been the case with installments in major franchises that hold a high level of anticipation, the film was naturally going to fail to live up to insane expectations. Be it Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace or Star Wars: The Force Awakens, major franchises tend to be met with disappointment if their anticipation rises above most blockbusters. While Avengers: Endgame was certainly far from a disappointment, the level of anticipation it held above Avengers: Infinity War meant the latter had less trouble overcoming fan expectations than the former.