Before Marvel Studios debuts their 22nd film, Avengers: Endgame, let’s get you caught up, eh? Of course, the best way to prepare for the endgame is to watch the previous films. Spoilers for every film until Captain Marvel ahead.

The Mad Titan Thanos has been after the Infinity Stones since 2012’s The Avengers. What are the Infinity Stones, anyway? The Infinity Stones have acted as a guiding force in the MCU since the beginning. There are six total, encompassing the abilities of Time, Space, Reality, Mind, Soul, and Power, respectively, each wielded by heroes and villains alike. When Thanos collects all six, he wields the power to create or destroy anything he wants. He yearns to use the power to “restore balance to a universe on the brink of extinction.” If there’s overpopulation, kill half the populace. Problem solved. No moral ambiguity there.

The most critical information for Avengers: Endgame comes with its most recent films: Thor: Ragnarok, Ant-Man & the Wasp, Captain Marvel, and Avengers: Infinity War. Each provides critical points to understand the full scope of what’s happening in this 3-hour film.

For the first time in its 11 year history, Marvel’s heroes lost. The reason for that loss was not because of a more powerful threat, but because the team was not united. Tensions were still high from Captain America: Civil War. They were not a team. The Avengers were not a united front (both figuratively and literally). Half of the Avengers fought Thanos on his home planet, Titan. Meanwhile, the others struggled against his army in Wakanda. Thanos took the Time Stone after defeating the Titan team, and traveled to Earth and plucked the Mind Stone from Vision’s forehead. With an epic entrance from Thor and a heartbreaking snap of the fingers, half of all living creatures in the universe turned to dust.

“But what about Captain Marvel? Where does she come into all this?”, you may be asking yourself. While Earth’s Mightiest Hero made over one billion dollars at the box office, she was nowhere to be found during the events of Infinity War. In her film, Captain Marvel leaves Earth to protect other species without super-beings. She’s been flying from planet to planet, helping the alien people who don’t have a guardian team like the Avengers. She is out helping the Skrulls find sanctuary along with any other species that need a helping hand. But when she receives a page from Nick Fury in his dying moments, she flies back to Earth to give the Avengers all the help they can get.

Ant-Man & the Wasp plays an important part into the speculation side of Avengers: Endgame by including the Quantum Realm, a subatomic plain of existence with time vortexes. Fans believe the matching sets of armor the Avengers don in the Endgame trailer are like the suit Hank Pym wears in Ant-Man & the Wasp to travel to the Quantum Realm. Time travel could play a key role in Avengers: Endgame, as the heroes hope to revive their teammates and the rest of the universe. In the end credit sequence of Ant-Man & the Wasp, Ant-Man travels into the Quantum Realm while Wasp and her parents communicate with him via radio. This happens right as Thanos snaps his fingers. Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne, and Hope Van Dyne disintegrate, leaving Scott stranded within the Quantum Realm, leading to the events of Endgame.

The titular term “endgame” is used to describe the final set of moves in a game of chess, in which several pieces have been conquered, yet the most valuable pieces remain. Thanos’ snap left the original six Avengers standing, along with Thor: Ragnarok’s Valkyrie, Black Panther’s Okoye, War Machine, Doctor Strange’s Wong, Nebula and Rocket Raccoon of Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, and Captain Marvel.

With their forces lessened, will the Avengers hold true to their name and avenge the universe? Who will survive?  Who won’t? Will Thanos be defeated by Ant-Man shrinking inside him and growing big again? Find out when Avengers: Endgame hits theatres this Friday.

Movie theatres will be packed this weekend. Be kind to the employees. Pick up your trash. Be considerate of the movie-goers around you. Enjoy Avengers: Endgame, and keep your mouth shut for those who haven’t seen it. If your present company doesn’t mind spoilers, by all means, feel free to tell them. Keep in mind the other people walking by may not feel so inclined. Be kind. Be courteous.

#DontSpoilTheEndgame #ThanosStillDemandsYourSilence