Dealing with the 'Endgame' FOMO

If you want to see “Avengers: Endgame” this weekend, you’ll be able to do it, but it may not be in ideal conditions.

“Endgame,” the 22nd film in the interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe and the direct sequel to last year’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” will likely shatter box office records. Many prime showtimes sold out a couple weeks ago, and local theaters have scheduled screenings around the clock. So enjoy that 2 a.m. screening of a three-hour movie, folks!

For some, the natural response to this kind of demand would be to just wait and see the movie in a few days. However, in this Fear of Missing Out culture, waiting can be a torturous experience. Your friends want to talk about it now, and you can’t be the one without an opinion.

It doesn’t have to be this way. For one, the Fear of Missing Out phenomenon runs rampant on social media but rarely makes much impact out in the real world. If you’re spoiler-sensitive and can’t go to “Endgame” until next week, just stay away from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for a few days. Everything will be fine. That ALL-CAPS Trump tweet (and subsequent fighting) will probably still be there when you get back.

But I’ve got another suggestion to combat “Endgame” FOMO both online and with your friends and family. Some of you will think I’m crazy or even terrible to suggest it, but I can speak from experience just how well it works during shared pop culture moments in which circumstances prevent you from being on the front lines.

Go online and read the spoilers. After Sunday, even Wikipedia will have a detailed rundown of everything that happens in “Endgame.” If you want to be part of the conversation so badly but can’t see the movie on Day 1, just take the five minutes to read the plot summary.

I can only speak for myself, but my appreciation of a movie depends very little on what I knew or didn’t know prior to seeing it. The plot of a movie is just one aspect of its overall presentation, and the execution of that plot (via the performances, direction, dialogue, music, production design, pacing, special effects, etc.) matters more to me than individual story bullets.

I just don’t get much thrill out of twists and surprises. “The Sixth Sense” has a good twist but only because M. Night Shayamalan tees it up so well throughout the story. The movie works better once you know all the details, and the twist enriches future viewing experiences.

That all being said, I don’t actively search for spoilers ahead of seeing something unless I really, really want to know. With four kids at home, I can’t rush out on opening day to see movies anymore, and I too occasionally succumb to the Fear of Missing Out.

When it comes to things I care less about, I have no problem reading the spoilers or hearing about certain twists before I get a chance to see them myself. I haven’t watched “Game of Thrones” or “The Walking Dead” in years, and if I do ever return to them it probably won’t be anytime soon. So go ahead and talk to me about how they killed (redacted) on the show! I’ll read the Wiki and I can join that communal water cooler conversation for the 30 seconds it lasts.

Here is the average pop culture conversation:

Guy: “Bro, did you see what happened on ‘Game of Thrones’ last night?”

Me: “Yeah, man, that was crazy.”

Guy: “And what about when (redacted) happened? So good!”

Me: “I know, right? So good!”

Guy: “Alright, well, see ya later.”

Look, I’ve been doing this for years, because I don’t watch many TV shows outside of what’s appropriate to show to a five-year-old. I haven’t watched a Super Bowl in a decade because I don’t really like football, but I can read a recap and basically have the same social experience after the fact as everyone else.

Don’t spoil yourself if you think it’s going to ruin the actual experience. I would never suggest that. If you want to go in fresh, then you’ll need to deal with that Fear of Missing Out a little more directly. You’ll be better off accepting that the experience itself matters more than the timeline in which it happened. Being first is overrated. “Endgame” will be in the Redbox three months from now for $2.

But if you really don’t care that much, then by all means, take a look. Enjoy being part of zeitgeist for the weekend without fighting the crowds. Then move on to something else. “John Wick 3” is out on May 17. Have you seen those trailers? Hurry, get online and watch them right now. You don’t want to miss it.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com. Feel free to send real or fake “Endgame” spoilers there.