#**marvel

...

thanos goes to snap his stupid golden handpuppet

it goes *dink*

the stones are gone!

steve rogers is wearing the stones on the gauntlet of his time-travel suit suit

he looks thanos in the eyeballs and snaps his fingers

thanos’ army disintegrates. we pan over all of the avengers (and avenger-adjacent peeps) mid-punch or mid-kick or whatever as their alien turns to dust in their hands.

thanos is last, staggers over to nebula and she has time to stab him with gamora’s balanced knife-thing before he turns to dust

pan back to steve as we see bucky and sam come running

steve is not doing great. bucky and sam start trying to do what they can, but steve’s not gonna make it

pan over to Team Stark as they realize what’s happening and also gather around

steve’s head is in bucky’s lap.

he pushes the remains of his shield to Sam. “make sure you get that fixed. people need a captain america right about now.”

steve looks up at bucky and smiles weakly

“guess it’s the end of the line.”

he dies, quietly, Finally At Rest, in bucky’s arms.

everyone kneels in mournful reverence, because steve has earned their respect.

cut to a few days later, in the backyard of tony’s lake estate

bruce and tony set up the time-travel launchpad

we see bucky suit up

“do you want me to come with you?” asks sam

“i can do this instead, you know,” says scott

“i’ve got it,” says bucky. “it’s the least i can do.”

“clip all the branches,” yadadada.

he climbs onto the pad.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1

NATASHA pops up on the pad instead of bucky

there’s a moment of stunned silence for the audience to go wild

and so the others can realize what bucky has done

he traded his soul for Natasha’s when returning the soul stone

we fade into amber, dreamy lighting to show the soul realm

steve is getting his dance from peggy and it looks like the ‘nightmare’ from age of ultron

wherein his nightmare was dancing with peggy with no bucky in sight

the song fades out and peggy smiles over steve’s shoulder. “someone’s waiting for you.”

steve turns.

there’s bucky, looking fresh out of 1945.

he, too, is finally at rest. natasha gets to live out the rest of her life with her families, and steve and bucky get to finally be somewhere peaceful and quiet together.

peggy fades.

steve and bucky walk through a white doorway into a space that looks like a cruddy apartment from 1942. it, and they, fade into nothingness.

back in the present:

“Natasha!” clint shouts, reacting first. he runs to her and gathers her up in a giant hug.

tony is next, throwing himself onto them.

then bruce.

thor joins in.

natasha holds out her arm and tentatively, sam joins their huddle, visibly repaired shield on his back.

they are circled up in the same order as the iconic shot from The Avengers.

they are assembled.

all is right with the world.

they break apart slowly, leaving only clint and natasha hugging on the pad.

sam joins scott for a bro-hug and meets hope.

thor goes off with the guardians of the galaxy.

we see bruce shaking hands with dr. strange and wong.

tony crouches down to catch morgan’s flying hug, then peter’s clobber, and lastly pepper’s kind kiss.

in the very background, we see wanda leaving alone (setting up wandavision).

everything is alright.

everyone is where they’re supposed to be.

everyone’s allies are set up for the continuations of their stories.

FAVORITES

hawkeye. "arrow guy. he's normal and a dad."

bruce banner. "the hulk seems like a nice man."

loki. "i like loki. i'm rooting for loki. this movie would have been better with loki in it [every time there is a movie without loki in it]."

ant-man. "he's funny and charming and handsome, and he's a dad."

steve. "he's a grade-a beefcake."

bucky. "was that bucky? bucky was there. he's mostly a bad guy but you said he's a good guy so i guess he's a good guy."

sam. "i like the flying captain america. his speech was important, and he doesn't like to kill people. he doesn't use guns."

peter parker. "i like spider-man. he's a friendly neighborhood spider-man and a nerd. what a fine actor. he reminds me of a young michael j. fox." [????? MY DAD HAS NEVER SEEN MICHAEL J. FOX IN ANYTHING????]

black panther. "this was actually a good movie. your mom really likes killmonger. she has a crush on him."

shang-chi. "i like him. he's a good guy, and he has spider-man energy. he's just a dude."

jimmy woo. "i like jimmy woo. why isn't he in more things? shouldn't the fbi be taking care of some of this terrorism and crime?"

kamala khan. "this was the best show besides loki. i like her spider-man energy, she was charming and it was appropriate for children."

LEAST FAVORITES

tony. "tony is based on my boss. i could have gotten one of the iron man suits back when they made the movie but you didn't like marvel yet, and i'm too short."

doctor strange. "he is too snarky. too much snark. there's no soul in that man."

rocket raccoon, specifically, of the guardians of the galaxy, whom as a whole he does not like. "i don't like that raccoon. that raccoon is too much of a curmudgeon."

thor. "this movie was really bad. i was rooting for loki."

moon knight. "i didn't like egyptface. dark sand. mirror man. what's he called? the sad man. the one you like. not bucky. llewyn davis. i never like him. except in star wars. but i don't like him in star wars as much as you do."