I can't comment on whether the behind close doors portrayals of them in TV and film is accurate, I can tell you they are competing for the same budget. The org that performs better naturally looks more attractive when it comes to allocating funding.

It's almost like money itself can make money quicker than hard work ever can.

I would also recommend Kurzgesagt, for all you're science needs: https://www.youtube.com/c/inanutshell

Right. There is no ELI5 for Hawking Radiation - it's too weird. And I am not a Quantum Physicist.

Hawking Radiation is a particular kind of Thermal Radiation that "leaks" from the tiny distance around the Event Horizon of a Black Hole. The radiation never actuallty comes from "inside" the Event Horison, yet it steals energy from the Black Hole - and in a Black Hole, mass and energy are essentially the same thing.

Hawking Radiation itself isn't perfect - and could to the Black Hole Information Paradox - where Black Holes *are* actually deleting information from the universe - although this is up for debate and there are theories which correct for this.

As far as I am aware, you can't turn the energy emitted back in to mass - without just throwing it in to another black hole.

When the last star dies, we will eventually get a "last" black hole, but not because they will merge.

Black holes give off radiation which actually reduces their mass over time called Hawking radiation.

So, eons after the last star dies, the last black hole will fade from existence.

What happens after that, is really anyones guess. But we have zero evidence that points to anything other than stable equilibrium for eternity (not that time would really have any meaning at that point.)