Avengers: Endgame - The Dead

So now the spoiler ban on Avengers Endgame is well and truly lifted, and I actually have time to write, I'm gonna start dealing with some of the major parts of it. We're gonna start big and tackle the dead.

So, as we know, there were many major characters killed, in both this movie and Infinity War, and some come back and some do not. We're here to break that down.
Some of it I don't fully understand, because of the repercussions of the time travel in this movie, but I'm gonna do my best, and if you wanna question me or correct me or explain stuff to me, please do.

Right, we're gonna start this bitch off with Vision.

Many people were confused by the fact that Vision didn't come back at the end of the movie. It's a valid question, because the mind stone was taken by Steve from Loki's sceptre, and returned by him later so that there would be no extra timelines, as the Ancient One so beautifully explained (much better than me). But, Steve didn't return the stones until after Tony's funeral (yeah, spoilers for the rest of this post), which means that we never got the chance to see if Vision reappeared after that or not. I thought, well, surely Vision is permanently dead because of the way that Thanos got the mind stone in the first place, but since they killed 2014 Thanos, then surely the events of Infinity War didn't happen. So honestly I don't have an explanation for why we don't see the Vision alive, but because it isn't addressed after Steve returns the stones, I can assume that he does come back, and we just don't see him, because we don't see the other characters after Steve has returned the stones and after Thanos dies.

That's my next point: Thanos.

At the beginning of the movie, Thor straight up chops off his head. That dude is dead. But, Thanos being the sneaky lil bastard he is, he sees 2023 Nebula stalking Quill in the 'memories' of 2014 Nebula. So, he gets his clever adopted evil child to figure out how to get him to 2023, and when she succeeds, 2014 Thanos, Nebula, Gamora, and all of his armies, are in 2023. Kinda confusing? But, 2023 Nebula kills 2014 Nebula, and original Gamora died for Thanos to get the soul stone back in 2018.

So, Tony getting the stones and snapping kills 2014 Thanos, while 2014 Gamora is still alive in 2023. However, in theory, the original Gamora is still alive, because Thanos never went to get the soul stone, with Clint getting it four years earlier. It's uncertain what happened to 2014 Gamora in 2023, but either way, there should be a Gamora in the present. But, no Thanos.

The soul stone is what I want to talk about next. The soul stone demands a sacrifice, someone loved must die in order to get it. Lucky that everyone who went there went in twos. Thanos chose his beloved daughter, costing him everything to get the infinity stone he needed. When Clint and Natasha went, it was Natasha that died.

This is possibly one of the most hearbreaking deaths, being irreversible and being of one of the most beloved characters of the series. Of course it's sad and it was a rough struggle between Clint and Natasha to decide who should die. But, personally, I think it makes sense that Nat was the one to die. Clint had spend the last five years in seeking vengeance for his family, trying to make right for himself what Thanos made wrong. Natasha spent the last five years searching desperately for the stones, for survivors, for any glimmer of hope to bring back all of the people that Thanos wiped out. The character development is beautiful, she sees these people as her family and her life for the last five years has been devoted to bringing people back.

The sacrifice she made in order to succeed in her mission, while terribly sad, seems appropriate and a fitting way to end her story.

To end, the other major character who died is Tony.

Another irreversible death, Tony died in order to kill Thanos and his armies by using the infinity gauntlet to his own means. It is heartbreaking to see two of the original Avengers, among the best ones, pass, but it's fitting for both. Tony died to save the world. He got so lucky when Thanos snapped, keeping his wife and allowing him to have a child. Many or most people did not get this privilege, they lost many close to them, and all they want is to get their lives and their loves back. I love that Tony decides to help those less fortunate rather than being selfish and keeping his perfect life. He knows he can help and he can get everyone back, so he has to be the one to do it. He sacrifices himself so that others can have a taste of a good life, he got a second chance and so he wants to allow the rest of the world to have that opportunity.

Obviously it's incredibly sad and devastating that Iron Man, the original Avenger, died, but in a way it's fitting, it was always about him, and he started, and ended, this incredible infinity saga.

Like I said, if you have any comments or corrections, please leave a comment and we can discuss. Next I'm going to explore the different plot holes people have noticed so if you have a suggestion, please leave a comment!