I want to tell you my secret now.

I see dead people.

Silent brain is evil.

Need my sister and my daughter.

Roseberg.

What's in the box?

Hi, I'm Dana Stevens, and this is a Slate Spoiler Special podcast for Avengers Endgame, the final movie in the 22 movie cycle that's been going on for the last 11 years, is that right, from the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Yes, I believe it all started with the original Iron Man movie in 2008.

And I hope that we'll get a little bit into the entire franchise and what it means that this is the concluding one.

Obviously, it's not going to be our last Marvel movie ever, but it does represent an ending of some kind and a culmination, and we will get into that.

Joining me in this late studio, and we're all here together in Brooklyn, which is very nice, is Forrest Wickman Slate's Culture Editor. Hey, Forrest. Hey, Dana. And special guest coming up from D.C. is the New York Times,

formerly of Slate columnist, Jamel Bowie. Hello. So nice to have you here. Yeah, I feel like we have

like the Phase 1 podcast, Slate Podcasts, Back Together. This is like I'm the Nick Fury here, like getting the gang back together.

This really is kind of a dream team for this particular movie because I wanted to get someone

like you, Jamel, who's a big comics person and has a background in the source material of

these movies.

And just Forrest, I feel like you're the scarecrow who comes in on every single Marvel movie

to talk about it. Yeah, I mean, I'm not really a big fan of the... I mean, I just didn't really read the comics growing up, but I've become a fan of the movies,

and I've seen all of them, and I feel like I'm somewhere in between you two guys in terms

of my level of Marvel affection.

Yeah, I guess my...

Actually, our level of affection would be an interesting place to start. I mean, starting with this movie, as always, I kind of want to go around to just see if you're a pro or con on this movie.

...