How Avengers: Endgame Delivered A Satisfying Ending (But Game Of Thrones Failed)

How Endgame Delivered: Avengers: Infinity War was so brilliant because the primary villain, Thanos, actually won; he successfully carried out his mission to collect all six infinity stones and wipe out half of all life, then sat and watched the sun rise on a grateful universe.

Looking back, Infinity War and Endgame would not have been such great experiences if Thanos had lost the first time, so his eventual defeat in Endgame was all the more satisfying.

Sure, the Thanos we know from Infinity War technically dies in the first twenty minutes of Endgame, and it's a Thanos from another timeline in the final battle, but the fate of Thanos and his army turning into dust was well-earned.

How Thrones Failed: As stated before, the defeat of the White Walkers was too soon and rather anti-climactic.

Given that they were supposed to be the ultimate threat, it was hugely disappointing to see them go out so easily after only one battle. While the fight cost plenty of lives, it wasn't a satisfying defeat.

They should have won the first time like Thanos to hammer home just how much of a threat they really were, and a second battle in King's Landing would have been a more appropriate setting to see their defeat (and also not have them die by a stab wound from the second Stark to single-handedly wipe out an entire army the weekend of April 26-28).

Even more disappointing, the real "final battle" of the series against Cersei in King's Landing wasn't even a battle but a full-on massacre by Daenerys "I'm Evil Now Because The Writers Said I Had To Be" Targaryen. It was great spectacle, but it failed on a narrative level in every conceivable way.