I hate the absurdly prevalent idea that happy endings are predictable, boring, cheesy, not quality. They’re not predictable at all, when we live in a culture that values and exalts grim endings more. Want cheap unearned applause? Grim endings are how you get it.

Grim endings have become the real cop out. The true cliche. Happy endings in most genres and media are now rare or at least devalued to the point where people actually knew 100% someone would die in a huge franchise that is often perceived as “safe” and too “childish”.

And they knew, because they understood the filmmakers would be harangued about “copping out” or not giving weight to the film, if nobody died.

And they were right.

Two major characters died.

Because we value grim over happy.

Not because that’s really better, or makes more sense. It doesn’t make sense at all. The very mechanics of the film, and of superheroes as a concept, meant they could have easily saved the ones who died.

But they didn’t.

Because grim is quality and happy is childish.

That’s the plain fact of the matter. It’s also why people rail so hard against the HEA - especially those who are new to writing and reading the genre. Because they’ve been immersed in nothing but grim = good/happy = bad, and drag that baggage into the genre with them.

Even for me, it took a lot of relearning all the things I thought I knew. I had to unpick so many ideas I’d just accepted: that a love story on its own is not enough, that happiness is not enough, that only a certain type of writing and story is high quality.

But happiness IS enough. It’s way more than enough, for so many people who’ve been denied that happiness in books and movies and shows. It deserves to be valued more.