10. Hawkeye’s Family Is Dust in the Wind
Speaking of crying, kicking off our list is the gut-wrenching opening scene of the movie where Hawkeye’s family turns into dust in the wind. After sitting out Infinity War, fans demanded to know where Marvel’s premiere archer was, and we got to see a brief moment of him happily picnicking with his family before the effect of the Snap wiped them from existence. This was a grim way to start the film but it did its job by establishing the human, emotional stakes of the movie in harrowing fashion.9. Thor Goes for the Head
Don’t worry, we’ll get to the rousing superheroics in a minute, but first we’ve got another downer. Number nine is the abrupt death of Thanos in the first 20 minutes of the movie. Thor lost so much in Infinity War and much was made of how he should have “gone for the head,” but not like this. When Thor decapitates the Mad Titan, it’s not heroic or satisfying. It’s Thor taking a petty, hollow victory knowing he was too late to save everyone, again. This moment did not feel good, but we recognize how it was key to bringing us to the lowest of the low so it’d be that much more gratifying when the Avengers do eventually get the win.8. Captain America’s Scepter Heist
We wouldn’t be doing our patriotic duty if we didn’t salute Captain America for the entire sequence where he makes away with Loki’s scepter. From subverting expectations in the elevator with “Hail Hydra,” to making a self-aware joke while fighting his younger self -- “I can do this all day”/“Yeah, I know, I know” -- and taking a moment to admire his super soldier assets -- “That is America’s ass” -- Cap’s portion of the time heist was the gift that kept on giving.7. Thor Is Still Worthy
While “Bro Thor” was played for laughs, underneath it all Thor had an emotionally raw arc. He dealt with depression, panic attacks and PTSD brought on by his failure to stop Thanos. That’s why it was so moving to hear Thor get a pep talk from mom and have it proven by Mjolnir that even if he’s sad and frustrated and out of shape and down on himself, he can still be worthy.6. The Avengers (re)Assemble
After watching the last of the Avengers beaten down by Thanos, leaving only Captain America with nothing more than a broken shield, The Falcon’s “On your left” callback line was the perfect way to open the floodgates of hope. And as the fallen heroes returned with an army to battle Thanos, we finally, finally get to hear Cap utter his iconic rallying cry from the comics: “Avengers assemble!”5. The Infinity Gauntlet Relay Race
As a chaotic battle unfolded around them, the heroes engaged in what we can only describe as an Infinity Gauntlet relay race to return the Stones. While more of an extended sequence than a singular moment, we had to include the whole thing on our list to do it justice. It was pure, unadulterated comic book joy to see numerous heroes working together to run the Gauntlet down the field. I mean, can you believe someone wrote in the script “and then Spider-Man, holding onto the Infinity Gauntlet with his Iron Spider leg, lands on Valkyrie’s flying horse” and it made it into the final cut?4. A-Force Assembles
As fun as Endgame was to watch for the first time, there were a lot of moments we figured were going to happen, but no one could have predicted all of Marvel’s lady heroes getting in formation to clear the way for Captain Marvel. It not only showed how far Marvel has come in giving proper representation to its many awesome female characters, but it gave us hope that there might one day be an A-Force movie.3. Cap Finally Gets That Dance
Yes, you probably called it a mile away, but that didn’t make Cap finally getting that dance with Peggy any less touching. After Cap’s sacrifice at the end of The First Avenger, we honestly never thought he’d get his happy ending, but Endgame used its timey-wimey plot to deliver it in just the right way.2. Captain America Is Worthy
But to get that happy ending, first Cap had some bludgeoning to do, and what better way to do that than with Thor’s hammer? Look, they set it up in Age of Ultron, we knew he was worthy, you knew he was worthy, Thor knew he was worthy, and now it finally happened and it. was. EVERYTHING!Honorable Mentions
Now, before we get to the final moment on our list, we have to run through some honorable mentions, because honestly this movie is packed to the brim with so many incredible moments that a single Top 10 list could never contain them all. Moments like…- Scarlet Witch unleashing her powers on Thanos
- Rhodey and Nebula bonding over being part machine
- The Ancient One fighting in the Battle of New York
- Hulk giving Ant-Man his tacos
- Thor commandeering the “Asgardians of the Galaxy”
- Ant-Man reuniting with Cassie
- Iron Man reuniting with Peter
- Clint killing some Outriders with his Ronin skills
- Clint getting a call from his resurrected family
- Those kids who just do not want a picture with Ant-Man
- Thanos getting killed (again) with a taste of his own dusty medicine
- Nebula dunking on Quill: “It was either him or a tree”
- Thor dual wielding Stormbreaker and Mjolnir: “Let’s kill him properly this time”
- The Avengers suited up in matching uniforms for the first time and marching to the Avengers theme
- And pretty much everything Captain Marvel does: “I’m going to kill Thanos,” putting Thanos in a chokehold, single-handedly taking down Thanos’ ship, and not flinching from a Thanos headbutt
