For James Bond fans, the 21st film in their beloved series reached a new nadir – Die Another Day, a ludicrous and bloated film could have killed the series off. Marvel Studios (owned by the Disney behemoth) and its fans don’t face the same problem – the series goes from strength to strength and their twenty-first and previous movie, Avengers: Infinity War delivered critically and commercially. Its sequel, Avengers: Endgame is a worthy successor.Credit should go to the Russo Brothers, who directed this epic, their fourth for the studio. Having produced a grand, complex film with a Malthusian antagonist last year to critical and commercial success, it seemed inconceivable that they wouldn’t stay around for the second half of the story.

Avengers: Endgame is the final piece of a grin-inducing romp through Marvel’s comic books and it works.