Marvel movie release dates referred to as "the Super Bowl of pop culture." If that's the case, the release of "Avengers: Endgame" was the Super Bowl on steroids. It was legitimate worldwide phenomenon, making $1.2 billion dollars during its opening weekend without breaking a sweat. One-point-two BILLION DOLLARS. Not unlike Thanos himself, this movie is breaking records with no regard for human life.
There is a great chance that we, as a movie-going generation do not currently comprehend the magnitude of what we experienced nearly two weeks ago. We may well look back on these Marvel movies, years from now, and be amazed that we lived through it all. These shows have revolutionized Hollywood and has shaped our lives over the past 11 years. As such, we understood that people would want to talk about their feelings. There were a lot of feelings. And we tried our best to encapsulate those thoughts by way of two separate surveys.
First, we asked people to "power rank" the characters from the movie in two polls - one to determine the most powerful and important Marvel superheroes, and another to decide the most popular characters.
Secondly, we created an "exit survey" to ask how people felt about certain aspects of the film: what they liked, what made them sad, which scenes disappointed them, how they feel about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and many other questions.
Before we get to the results, let's go over a couple things that will help the rest of the blog make more sense:
What are power rankings?
We're so glad you asked! We discovered that this concept might be foreign to some of our readers, so we wrote up a quick post about it, which you can read here.
Who was surveyed?
- Power Rankings: Twenty of our friends, family and co-workers took our power rankings survey, from ages in the mid-20s to mid-50s. Fifteen men and five women were polled.
- Exit Survey: Forty people took the exit survey, including friends, family members, co-workers, referrals (e.g. a co-worker's significant other, etc.) and one random person from the Internet that found the survey on Twitter. The age range and gender ratio are therefore unknown, although we are certain that 25 men and 14 women were polled.
What do the columns mean in the power ranking charts?
Each ranking (1-25 for the "power" rankings and 1-28 for the "favorite" rankings) came with a designated number of points. That means that a first place vote for one's favorite character awarded 28 points to that character. A last place vote awarded one point. A perfect score (meaning that every voter ranked a character as the top superhero) would manifest itself as a maximum score of 25 points for the power/importance survey and a maximum score of 28 for the favorite survey. The average score given to each character is represented in the aptly named "Average Score" column.
This is not our first rodeo, as far as Marvel power rankings go. We did power rankings before "Infinity War" and a couple weeks ago, before "Endgame." The "Pre-EG Rank" and "Pre-I.W. Rank" columns will show movement over time, as an indication of how respondents feel about the characters now, post-Endgame, in comparison with those previous polls.
The "Popular Picks" column represents the ranking for which a superhero received the most votes, independent of any other characters. For instance, Spider-man received four 8th place votes, which was more than the amount of votes that he received for any other ranking.
"Highest Pick" shows the highest ranking that any voter gave to a particular character, with the amount of voters giving that rank in parenthesis. For instance, 10 voters believed that Captain Marvel is the strongest or most important character.
Conversely, the "Lowest Pick" column shows the lowest ranking given by any voters that took the survey. Thus, we see that five people indicated that Korg was the weakest or least important character.
Your percentages sometimes add up to more than 100%
Yeah, yeah. We know. Excel rounded up. Not our fault.
Why are most of the graphics typed up in Comic Sans font?
Because we wanted to be hilarious. Mission accomplished.
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Sound good? Clear as mud? Let's get to it! Oh, and by the way...
Please don't proceed past this point if you haven't seen "Avengers: Endgame." Thanks.
Most Important/Powerful Characters:
* This survey includes only characters that were shown as surviving and on active duty at the end of the movie.
Doctor Strange with the upset! The master of the mystic arts came through with the dark horse victory over Captain Marvel as our most important and powerful character, thanks no doubt in large part to his role in foreseeing the one scenario in which the Avengers could defeat Thanos. We didn't get to hear the full story during "Endgame," but if Spider-man is to be believed, Stephen Strange was instrumental in the resurrection of the "snapped" Avengers.
While undoubtedly one of the most powerful characters (and, as some have argued, the most overpowered Avenger), Captain Marvel fell to second place, perhaps due to her absence throughout most of the movie. Apparently, she had more important stuff going on elsewhere.
Thor, Black Panther and the Incredible Hulk round out the top five, followed by Ant-Man, Falcon, Spider-man, Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye in the top ten.
The rankings were not kind to sidekicks. Slots 18 through 25 were filled with secondary characters, the likes of War Machine (18), Wong (20), Okoye (22) and our poor pal Korg (25). Also of note is the debuting and freshly armored Pepper Potts, who landed at #21.
Biggest Movers:
Sam Wilson deservedly showed the most improvement in power and importance from the time before "Infinity War" to the days following "Endgame." He's up 11 spots after taking on the mantle of Captain America. Another notable improvement was that of Scarlet Witch, who went from an afterthought to almost single-handedly making Thanos cry "uncle" in "Endgame." Additionally, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man and, surprisingly, Drax the Destroyer are all up five spots two movies later.
Star-Lord took a back seat in the time between the two-part Thanos storyline, down five spots from his standing before the Mad Titan took control of the Infinity Stones.
The "Pre-Endgame" to "Post-Endgame" standings are a bit misleading, in that 16 characters were added to the "Post-Endgame" survey that were either "dead" or not included in previous surveys. We see the negative movement of War Machine, Nebula and Okoye more as a sign that they failed to maintain their rank than a sign of diminishing power or importance.
Favorite Characters:
Our old friend Steve Rogers claimed a two-point margin of victory in the "Favorite Characters" survey. He and his lifetime of contributions to the safety of the United States earned him the distinguished honor of being the most popular character in the Infinity Saga. Iron Man, Ant-Man and Thor also proved to be beloved amongst our voters, with Doctor Strange rounding out the top five.
Surprisingly, Peter Parker wound up in twelfth place, below less traditionally popular characters like Black Widow, the Incredible Hulk, Rocket Raccoon and Hawkeye. It doesn't appear that Carol Danvers' Other-Planets-Come-Before-Earth attitude won her many fans; despite having the most recent solo film (and its accompanying, somewhat polarizing marketing campaign), Captain Marvel ended in a tie with Clint Barton for tenth place.
With "Endgame" serving as an apparent send-off for the original six Avengers (Cap, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye), it just feels right that none of them finished outside of the top ten.
Biggest Movers:
Rocket Raccoon showed the greatest positive change from pre-Infinity War to post-Endgame, sliding up five spots in the final results. A little screen time will do you good, won't it? Black Widow moved up four spots after her emotional farewell, and the wisecracking Scott Lang got even more popular by moving up four on his end. Other positive movers included Iron Man and Bucky Barnes, who improved by three spots each.
Groot's lack of visibility (literally) resulted in a six spot decline, the same amount experienced by War Machine, who is traditionally one of the least popular Avengers, according to our previous polls. And then there's Star-Lord. He dropped ten spots from the time before "Infinity War" to the present day. That's not good. Shouldn't have punched Thanos, man.
Despite 19 new or resurrected characters being added from pre-Infinity War to post-Endgame, three people somehow managed to improve their popularity - and they're exactly the three people you'd expect them to be: Captain America, Iron Man and Black Widow. Parting is such sweet sorrow.
Again, keep in mind that, in this case, 16 characters that were not on the "Pre-Endgame" survey were added to the post-movie poll. Six characters dropped spots in popularity with our voters from the time before they saw "Endgame" to the time they walked out of the theater, including Captain Marvel, who dropped by four, and Okoye, who dropped a whopping 13 spots. We were surprised to see that Nebula, who was much improved from her role in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, fell by seven.
Who was the MVP?:
Iron Man - 65%, Captain America - 20%, Other - 8%, Ant-Man - 5%, Incredible Hulk - 2%
It's almost impossible not to give the MVP award to Tony Stark. He started the MCU with "Iron Man" back in 2008, and it was perfectly fitting for him to be the one to finish off Thanos in "Endgame." He also played an integral role in helping the team figure out how to make time travel possible and served as a mentor and father figure to many of the Avengers who lived to tell the tale.
It was also a strong finish for Steve Rogers, the man who was front and center for most of the final battle against the Mad Titan. Honorable mention goes to Scott Lang, who came up with the "time heist" concept that Bruce Banner and (ultimately) Stark would implement as a way of retrieving the Infinity Stones from alternate, past timelines.
Most Improved Character Since "Infinity War":
Nebula - 43%, Incredible Hulk - 33%, Black Widow - 20%
It was nice to see Nebula play an important role in a movie, after not having done much to move her popularity meter after two appearances in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies. Also receiving some love were Hulk, who definitely redeemed himself after being a total waste of space in "Infinity War," and Black Widow, whose ultimate act of selflessness left a lasting impression on our voters.
Despite having arguably his best (and funniest) outing to date, War Machine did not receive any votes for "Most Improved."
Favorite Side Mission:
The Battle of New York: 73%, Vormir: 15%, Asgard - 13%
Starting the time travel sequences with the Battle of New York was a great choice; there is, perhaps, no more groundbreaking nor beloved moment in the entire MCU, and 73 percent of our voters liked the return to the climax of "Marvel's Avengers" the most. The heavy toll exacted by Black Widow and Hawkeye's trip to Vormir also received votes, and the visit to Asgard certainly made "Thor: The Dark World" feel more important than ever.
The side mission to Morag did not receive any votes.
Best Team-up:
Captain America/Iron Man/Hulk/Ant-Man - 48%, Black Widow/Hawkeye - 28%, Thor/Rocket Raccoon - 25%
Between Captain America fighting himself, Bruce Banner watching in awe as Past-Hulk overzealously pummeled the Chitauri, and Iron Man and Ant-Man's mission to retrieve the Tesseract, there was a lot to love about the New York team-up.
The gut-wrenching team-up between Black Widow and Hawkeye made its mark on 28 percent of voters, and 25 percent enjoyed the God of Thunder's time with "Rabbit."
Here, again, the War Machine/Nebula mission failed to receive any votes, despite a great cameo by Peter Quill.
Who Did You Want to be Sacrificed for the Soul Stone?:
No Preference: 50%, Black Widow - 33%, Hawkeye - 18%
It had to be one of them. And half of our voters didn't have a preference which one it was. Natasha did end up getting one-third of the votes, but we're not positive whether that should be seen as an honor or a way of saying that audiences wanted her to die. We may never know.
Best Captain America Moment:
Lifting/Fighting with Mjolnir - 55%, "I could do this all day." "Yeah, I know." - 13%, Reuniting with Peggy Carter - 10%, "America's a**" - 8%, "Hail H.Y.D.R.A." - 8%, Passing the Shield to Sam - 3%
There were so many great moments for Captain America in "Endgame," including a handful of witty lines, an unusual amount of mild profanity and some moments that moviegoers have been waiting almost a decade to see. But, unquestionably, those who took our survey were beyond thrilled to see Steve Rogers lift - and fight with - Thor's trusty weapon. This was a moment that was teased all the way back in "Age of Ultron," during a scene in which it appeared that Cap slightly budged Mjolnir while attempting to pick it up. Thor exclaimed what many of us were thinking, when he uttered those glorious words, "I knew it!"
Saddest Moment:
Tony Stark's Death - 75%, Black Widow's Sacrifice - 13%, Captain America Growing Old/Retiring - 8%, Hawkeye's Family Getting Snapped - 8%
Many, including the woman absolutely bawling her eyes out one row behind us, felt that the saddest moment in "Endgame" was the sacrifice and eventual death of Tony Stark - and rightfully so. Although it was heavily assumed that one (if not multiple) major characters would meet their demise at the metaphorical hands of the Infinity War, losing Iron Man was a devastating and somewhat unexpected blow.
The rest of the votes were relatively split between the death of Natasha Romanov, the retirement of Steve Rogers and that devastating opening scene featuring the Barton family.
Favorite Moments:
For the survey, we provided a list of many of the perceived top moments from the film and asked respondents to pick their favorite three. Here are the top vote-getters, led by Iron Man uttering his most famous line and using the Infinity Stones to give Thanos and his army what they deserved.
Most Disappointing Moment:
Ant-Man Getting Saved by a Rat - 28%, N/A - There Were No Disappointing Moments - 23%, Thanos Getting Killed (the First Time) Without Putting Up a Fight - 20%, Thor's PTSD Being Used for Laughs - 18%, Stan Lee's Final Cameo - 8%, Other - 5%
While nearly a quarter of respondents felt there were no disappointing moments in the entire movie, we'd like to vent quickly about a couple (minor) grievances:
Ant-Man got saved from the Quantum Realm by a rat. Not due to his own ingenuity or by any means of intelligence. A rat literally just walked across the dashboard of his car, unknowingly pressed a button and spat Scott Lang right out. So dumb.
After waiting a whole year to see the Avengers' rematch with Thanos, watching the Mad Titan get offed - half an hour into the movie - without really raising a finger to defend himself was certainly unexpected. At least they went for the head.
Clearly, Marvel had no idea that this would be Stan Lee's final cameo, and it was always fun to see him pop up in the most random of scenarios, but we can think of probably 15 other cameos that we liked better.
Which "Snapped" Character Were You Most Happy to See Again?:
Spider-man - 53%, Doctor Strange - 23%, The Guardians of the Galaxy - 10%, Black Panther/Shuri - 5%, Bucky Barnes - 5%, Scarlet Witch - 3%, The Wasp/Hank Pym/Janet Van Dyne - 3%
People love Spider-man. Or they love Tom Holland. Possibly even both. But whatever it is that people go bananas over, it sure seemed like the resurrection of Peter Parker got the loudest cheers of the entire night when we saw "Endgame" on opening night.
Doctor Strange received a respectable 23 percent of votes, with other votes coming in for the Guardians of the Galaxy (one voter specifically mentioned Groot), the Wakandans, the Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch (one girl in our theater LOST. HER. MIND. over Wanda) and the Pym-Van Dynes.
How Much Did You Hate Thanos?:
We gave our voters a scale from 1 (liked) to 5 (loathed), and it's a bit hard to draw any definite conclusions from the results. However, after a decidedly less sympathetic showing than his appearance in "Infinity War," most voters really didn't like Thanos in "Endgame."
Who Will You Miss the Most?:
Iron Man - 53%, Captain America - 38%, Black Widow - 10%
Tony Stark wins again, followed by Steve Rogers and a 10 percent clip for Natasha Romanov.
Fat Thor:
Yay - 45%, Meh - 30%, Nay - 25%
This and the "Most Disappointing Moment" results show that body shaming isn't always the most popular use of comedy, but Fat Thor did provide a few good laughs, even for a joke that would have gone over better for about 30 minutes, not three hours. Regardless, we've never felt better about ourselves while looking at Chris Hemsworth with his shirt off. We hope he takes his mama's advice and has a salad or two before "Guardians of the Galaxy 3," though.
Smart Hulk:
Yay - 60%, Meh - 23%, Nay -18%
Bruce Banner really needed to step it up in "Endgame" after subpar showings in "Infinity War" and "Thor: Ragnarok." In the five years since the Snap, the professor learned how to balance his brains and brawn, resulting in a cardigan-clad jolly green genius. Nearly two-thirds of voters approved.
Valkyrie as "King" of Asgard:
Yay - 60%, Meh - 33%, Nay - 8%
Thor passed the reins to the hard-drinking warrior woman at the end of the movie. Sixty percent liked it and one-third could take it or leave it. Time will tell what the future holds for New Asgard under the leadership of Valkyrie.
Falcon as the New Captain America:
Yay - 40%, Meh - 30%, Nay - 30%
Speculation has been rampant for years about whether the MCU would follow the comicbook storylines where Bucky Barnes or Sam Wilson took over as Captain America. One of the final scenes in "Endgame" answered those rumors as an elderly Steve Rogers presented his iconic shield to Falcon. Of all of the Yay/Nay questions we asked, this one was easily the most divisive, nearly being split evenly between approval, disapproval and indifference. Perhaps the ramifications of this decision will come to the forefront of the upcoming Disney+ show "Falcon and Winter Soldier."
Were You Satisfied with the Ending?:
Yes - 95%, Indifferent - 5%
Our voters overwhelmingly approved of the ending of "Avengers: Endgame." Only a couple people voted "indifferent," but did not have the option to clarify why they felt that way. (We'd love to hear, if any of you are reading this.)
Who Should Be the New "Face" of the MCU?:
Captain Marvel - 28%, Spider-man - 28%, Doctor Strange - 18%, Black Panther - 10%, Falcon (Captain America) - 10%, The Guardians of the Galaxy - 5%, Other - 3%
With no more Iron Man or Captain America, the time has come for a new hero to step to the front of the line. Popular votes included Captain Marvel and Spider-man (28 percent) and Doctor Strange (18 percent). Votes also fell to Black Panther, the new Captain America and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Describe "Avengers: Endgame" in One Word:
Rate "Avengers: Endgame":
On a scale from 1 to 10 stars, none of our voters went lower than a 7, with half of all votes being cast for "9 out of 10."
An average of all 40 votes came out to a score of 8.95 out of 10 stars. On the date of publishing, "Avengers: Endgame" sat at a rating of 8.9 out of 10 stars on IMDb and an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which validates everything we've known all along - that we and our voters aren't totally crazy, after all.
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Have you seen "Avengers: Endgame"? What did you think of our survey results? Have any burning questions or feedback? We'd love to hear your opinion in the comments section below, on Facebook, Twitter or any other method of modern communication. As always, thanks for reading.
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