Top Ten #24: Ranking the Top Ten Characters from Avengers: Endgame

Top Ten #24: Ranking the Top Ten Characters from Avengers: Endgame

**I WILL DO MY BEST NOT TO SPOIL ANYTHING FROM AVENGERS: ENDGAME, BUT WARNING - MINOR SPOILERS MAY BE IN THIS POST. DISCRETION IS ADVISED. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

Avengers: Endgame is inching its way to Avatar's worldwide box office record. With a spectacular cast that has carried the MCU for the past eleven years, it was extremely difficult to rank the top ten characters/performances. This list is entirely subjective, and may not, will not, and should not match yours. 

Dishonorable Mention - Thor: This is an interesting case of a character NOT being on the list being more pertinent than some characters that are. After last year's Avengers: Infinity War, I was completely onboard with Chris Hemsworth's Thor. He was at peak level, both in terms of acting and the character himself. And yet, something went wrong between Infinity War and Endgame. The Russos made a bold choice, and for that, I admire them. I appreciate bold choices rather than lukewarm hesitancy. But with these bold choices, come divides. It's no ones fault, it's just that it appeals to us in different ways, and it just didn't for me. I appreciated it more the second time, no doubt, but ultimately, it was a complete step back for a character that shot up into my top 5 favorite Avengers following Infinity War. 

10. War Machine: James Rhodes has quietly been a part of numerous MCU films (7 films thus far), and has become a mainstay. Here's what I will say about Rhodey in Avengers: Endgame; he doesn't have anything really substantial to do besides look cool and be part of the missions and fights. That being said, with the little screentime that he's given, Don Cheadle is able to capture the essence of the character that makes him such a valuable member of the team and a friend to Tony. He has two great lines, one comedic and one serious, and I think both lend to him being on this list.

9. Bruce Banner: Like Thor, the Russo brothers took a bold path in terms of Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Honestly, I didn't like it as much as I thought I might upon further thought and a second viewing. BUT, it worked a lot better than Thor, and Bruce had a substantial amount of screentime in the film, and because of that, Ruffalo and the Russos deserve some credit for committing to a direction for the character. It just didn't feel satisfying come the credits.

8. Rocket Raccoon: Rocket Raccoon doesn't have a ton to do, but what little he does, he does well. Bradley Cooper completely understands this character at this point, and every lien that comes out of his mouth is so in line with the raccoon that we fell in love with in the original Guardians. 

7. Thanos: Thanos is different in this movie. For better or for worse, Thanos is not the same character that we saw in Avengers: Infinity War. He has a vastly reduced role in the film as well. But, to my surprise, I was actually completely okay with that, and actually on board with it as well. We get to see a different aspect of Thanos that was hinted at in previous films, and while I do prefer the philosopher-Thanos that we got to see in Avengers: Infinity War, this battle-ready version is also extremely complex and interesting. Brolin again brings his A-game with the character, and cements his status, to me at any rate, as the best villain in the MCU.

6. Nebula: Another character that got a a better look in the MCU finale was Nebula, played by Karen Gillan. I didn't enjoy Gillan's performance, I will admit, and I never really have. I understand she was meant to be an android and more machine than person, but Gillan's performance came off more as wooden than robotic. That being said, the character is taken in some new directions that shed some light on her humanity rather than her machinery. She has more layers attached to her as she becomes part of the Avengers team, and it's great to see how she grows through the film. 

5. Clint Barton: Everyone's favorite missing Avenger from the previous film, Renner has a big role to play in this movie, and he does some great things with the character. Everyone knows Hawkeye by now; we've seen him since 2011 in the original Thor. But this Hawkeye is different; he's damaged, he's broken, but he's a fighter. He has a bite and an edge to him that makes him dangerous. But he still retains that personality that drew us all to him in the first place, which is why this version of Hawkeye is so dynamic. 

4. Ant-Man: Believe it or not, while some of the darker moments of the film rang true, the comedy was outstanding as well, thanks in large part to Rudd's Scott Lang. Scott Lang provides the perfect counter to the rest of the Avengers. You would think a goofy character like him wouldn't fit quite as well in the mix, but he melds right in, just like he did in Captain America: Civil War. He also plays a huge, integral part in the main storyline, and Rudd even gets to show off his dramatic chops towards the beginning of the film, which he does spectacularly. 

3. Black Widow: Natasha Romanoff has been in quite a few Marvel movies by now, and Scarlett Johansson knows this character. Markus and McFeely (the writers of this film) know her intimately as well, and were able to give her a lot of time to shine. This is a version of Natasha that's broken after the devastating loss of Infinity War, who's trying to move on but can't. And we see her struggle with her relationships with other characters and how integral she is to the entire team dynamic. You don't realize until this movie just how much she means to the team, but more importantly, also how much the team means to her. 

2. Tony Stark: The godfather of the MCU, Robert Downey Jr. practically IS Iron Man, and he shows it. This is his and Chris Evan's movie, and he shows his dramatic acting chops, his comedic timing, and irresistible charisma and charm that made us fall in love with him in the first place. Tony has been a part of our lives, and the general pop culture for eleven years now, and Downey proves why in this film.

1. Captain America: While I was so close to giving the top spot to Tony, Steve really embodies what it means to be an Avenger in this movie. He is the reason why all the Avengers will fall into battle with him, no matter what the circumstances are. No matter how dire, or how severe the situation may be, Steve is ready to fight until his last, and that cornerstone has not gone unnoticed in the MCU. While, yes, I believe Robert Downey Jr. delivered a stronger performance in this movie (by a bit actually), I think Steve's character arc was the most satisfying. We've seen how much he's changed and grown and how much the world has changed him. And by the time the movie was over, I felt that Steve Rogers really was the MVP of not just this movie, but the entire MCU.