WARNING SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS ENDGAME AHEAD. Last weekend the Marvel epic opened with a record-breaking $1.2 billion box office. Still selling out cinema screenings, Avengers Endgame was a spectacular conclusion to 22 MCU movies. And now the film’s screenwriters have revealed why Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man had to die.
Speaking with The New York Times, Markus and McFeely opened up on their decision to kill off Tony Stark.
Marvel fans will remember Doctor Strange prompted Iron Man to give his own life and complete the Endgame – the one possible future where the Avengers defeated Thanos.
Tony managed to transfer the Infinity Stones’ from Thanos’ Gauntlet to his Iron Man suit before snapping his fingers and turning the Mad Titan and his armies to dust.
But being only human, wielding all six gems at once was a fatal action for Iron Man too – a sacrifice he had to make.
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The screenwriters said: “Everyone knew this was going to be the end of Tony Stark.
“I don’t think there were any mandates. If we had a good reason to not do it, certainly people would have entertained it.
“The watchword was, end this chapter, and he started the chapter.
“In a way, he has been the mirror of Steve Rogers the entire time. Steve is moving toward some sort of enlightened self-interest, and Tony’s moving to selflessness. They both get to their endpoints.”
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Asked if there were any other outcomes considered for Tony other than death, they added: “No. Because we had the opportunity to give him the perfect retirement life, within the movie. He got that already.
“That’s the life he’s been striving for. Are he and Pepper going to get together? Yes.
“They got married, they had a kid, it was great. It’s a good death. It doesn’t feel like a tragedy. It feels like a heroic, finished life.
Avengers Endgame is out now.