As the most highly anticipated film of the 22 entries taking place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and one of the most culturally significant cinematic events in the past several decades, Avengers: Endgame had a big responsibility and a lot to deliver for its fans. Not only did it have to tie up loose ends and complete character arcs, it had to do so in a way that respected the emotional labor of its fandom.

Thanos had wrestled victory away from the Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War and erased half of the world’s population with the use of the Infinity Gauntlet. Endgame had to not only chronicle the Avengers’ revenge, but also do so in a way that provided closure for the characters that fans had come to treat as family. Did it succeed? That may come down to a personal case by case basis, but here are ways it both offered closure and denied it.

CLOSURE: IT INCLUDED EVERYONE

To say that seeing all the Avengers back together again was epic is an understatement. With half of Earth’s population gone in “The Snap”, and Thanos having destroyed the Infinity Stones, it seemed unlikely that all our favorite superheroes would ever be fighting alongside each other unless the impossible could be done.

But this is the MCU we’re talking about, where the impossible is just a jumping off point. And jump Marvel Studios did, giving the fans one last chance to see all of their favorite characters interact together again, in some instances for what would be the last time. But ultimately, through their combined trials and tribulations, it felt like a fitting close to an era.

NO CLOSURE: THOR

The events of “The Snap” have clearly been hard on every Avenger, but no one seems to take it as hard as Thor. Early in the film he is a monosyllabic ball of rage who feels like a complete failure. Even when he gets the chance at revenge and kills Thanos, it is a hollow act that won’t right any wrongs, and he knows it.

He becomes an over-eating, hard-drinking recluse who wants nothing to do with being a hero anymore. Even at the end of the film, when some amount of victory has been achieved, he doesn’t even want to be a king of Asgard anymore. He continues his journey to find his place, and joins the (As)Guardians of the Galaxy as a space pirate.

CLOSURE: CAP FINALLY GETS SOME (PEACE)

For as big a part as Captain America has played in the Avengers films, he has always seemed restrained by a sense of duty to his past. Though he’s been living in the present day for several years, he feels obligated to leave some part of him back there. In his mind it’s the only way it will always be revered and never forgotten.

His commentary about every other Avenger’s relationships has been from the point of view of someone being out of time; a young man with an old man’s sense of things. Which made his decision to live out the life that hero-dom had robbed him of a beautiful way for him to find peace.

NO CLOSURE: BLACK WIDOW

There’s a particular scene in the film, five years after “The Snap”, where Black Widow is sitting at Avengers Headquarters. She’s the last person keeping the lines of communication open for anyone to reach out with information about Thanos, The Snap, or survivors. She remains the last woman standing, doing her job as an Avenger, long after others have left their posts.

She does this because being a part of the Avengers made her a better person, and she wants to honor that commitment. It’s what’s so hard about watching her make the ultimate sacrifice later in the film to ensure her teammates are successful against Thanos; when the Avengers Assembled one last time, she will never be part of the team again.

CLOSURE: TONY’S SACRIFICE

The decision for Tony Stark to wield the Infinity Stones in Avengers: Endgame had been made for him since the moment he saw a vision of the future in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It was compounded when he asked Doctor Strange if this was the one timeline in 14 million that they’d be victorious, and Strange said if he told him, it wouldn’t come true. All Strange could do was hold up one finger, and Tony knew that if it was going to be this timeline, he would need to make it so to save his friends.

Tony’s sacrifice may have been gut-wrenching and unpredictable, but it was not without some amount of reverence; for a man who was always accused of thinking selfishly short term, this was his chance to make the most impact in a time of urgency where it would be truly selfless.

NO CLOSURE: STEVE AND BUCKY’S RELATIONSHIP

There’s no doubt that Avengers: Endgame had a lot of loose ends to tie up, and a lot of character arcs to finish. The biggest of these was Captain America’s who, as the First Avenger, had propped up the foundation of what the Avengers stood for even in times of opposition from his own teammates.

This steadfastness helped him convince his brainwashed brother-in-arms Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier) to defect from Hydra, and secure their evergreen friendship. Despite Bucky being a victim of “The Snap”, and despite returning to fight alongside Cap, he passed the mantle of Captain America to Falcon, and his loyalty to Bucky was never addressed.

CLOSURE: THANOS IS DEFEATED

The Thanos arc that loomed over the Avenger films and cross-pollinated the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and infiltrated every other installment of every MCU character to one degree or another, was finally brought to a close. Thanos was defeated, in a way that featured (almost) every character from all 22 films thus far.

With his defeat brought a sense of resolution to the arc of his world-ending plotline, and the objective for which the Avengers had been fighting so valiantly for was finally reached; Earth’s security and ultimate preservation.

NO CLOSURE: GAMORA AND STARLORD

We can’t say that Gamora and Peter Quill (Starlord) have always had the most solid relationship. Beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy, the setup of roguish space pirate wooing a ruthless mercenary did not a stable partnership make. But we rooted for their strange romance because its awkward nature was relatable, and they were two imperfect beings trying to find their place in a galaxy larger than they knew.

Avengers: Endgame places these two lovebirds essentially back at square one. The Gamora we knew and loved was sacrificed by her father Thanos to gain the Soul Stone, and with the Gamora of the past encountering Starlord of the present, he will have to convince her why their love is worthwhile.

CLOSURE: HAWKEYE

Hawkeye wasn’t with the Avengers when “The Snap” occurred. As Avengers: Endgame shows us, he was spending quality time with his family, showing his daughter how to shoot a bow while his wife prepared a picnic. In an instant, his entire family vanished, along with his entire world.

Thus began Hawkeye’s murderous rampage, filling the void of his missing kin with bodies of the people who were left behind. Why? Because drug lords and criminals were spared at random while his family was mercilessly taken from him. When “The Snap” is reversed by the Avengers’ efforts and he’s reunited with his family at the end of the film, it makes all his sacrifices worth it.

NO CLOSURE: SPIDER-MAN AND THE REST OF THE WORLD

From the time of “The Snap” to its eventual reversal by the time-traveling efforts of the Avengers, five years went by. For five years the world was without half its population. Five years of Wakanda without a King. Five years without the Sorcerer Supreme. These are things that potentially have grave ramifications.

The reappearance of these individuals upsets a balance that had been (albeit tentatively) put back into place. And though they’ve reappeared, they’ve also lost loved ones as well. Peter Parker has lost his mentor in Tony Stark, and the Avengers will have to fight on without Captain America’s leadership. There isn’t closure for them, only the inevitability of rebuilding.