'Avengers: Endgame' premiere: Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. get choked up onstage

LOS ANGELES – At the “Avengers: Endgame” world premiere, the macho thing to do was sob.

The film (in theaters Friday), a culmination of 20-some Marvel movies about idiosyncratic heroes with super suits, super serum, super strength, super combat moves and super archery skills, screened Monday night to a sentimental audience. There were cheers, and there were sniffles.

“I cried like six times,” Captain America actor Chris Evans said from the stage at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

“I cried, I think, more than six times,” said Thor star Chris Hemsworth, adding, “I love every single one of you."

At the enormous venue usually reserved for car shows and pharmaceutical conventions, a purple carpet encircled a Hulk-sized rotating Avengers "A." Marvel faithful walked the Thanos-colored carpet and stopped in the bathroom before embarking on the three-hour movie, which at times had viewers so quiet you could hear a cough from across the room. Finally, there was a standing ovation when dozens of actors took the stage.

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Post-screening, directors Joe and Anthony Russo thanked the cast, and the cast acknowledged Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who celebrated the fans. It was a circle of gratitude where even Robert Downey Jr., the actor who kicked off the franchise as tech-savvy billionaire Tony Stark and has since become the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ad hoc emcee for events like these, seemed too choked up for words.

“I’m just gonna say: I love you times 3,000,” he told the crowd, more than a decade after his 2008 film “Iron Man” debuted in theaters and ignited the superhero movie craze.

Back when that first movie came out, “we didn’t know how people were going to react and whether or not Marvel was going to continue making movies,” says “Endgame” executive producer Trinh Tran, who served as assistant to the head of post-production on “Iron Man.”

“We’re standing here 10 years later, and there’s such a huge excitement over wanting to watch this movie and having everyone embrace it,” she says.

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But first, the stars embraced those in the room.

“It’s been an amazing ride. I love all you guys so much. It’s been the trip of a lifetime,” Hulk hero Mark Ruffalo said.

“This past decade of time has been absolutely life-changing (and) impossible to put into words,” Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson said. Added Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner: “I’m so thankful.”

Feige finally snapped everyone out of their emo trance.

“There’s a party somewhere. Let’s go find it,” he announced.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Avengers: Endgame' premiere: Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. get choked up onstage