In a recent interview with the LA Times, Avengers: Endgame co-writer Christopher Markus shared his thoughts on one of the film’s main deaths. And as we delve into these insights, it probably goes without saying that spoilers lie ahead.
At the climax of the Avengers: Infinity War sequel, Tony Stark wrestles the Infinity Stones off Thanos and uses them to snap away the Mad Titan and his minions. Unfortunately, summoning the power of the stones costs Iron Man his life, and according to Markus, it was always the plan that the MCU’s founding hero died on his own terms:
“We always knew we wanted him to bring it on himself as opposed to being killed by Thanos. Because it’s really the one thing left for him to do, in a way. The five-year jump allowed him to become this fully realized human: He married Pepper, he had a child, he basically retired from public life and lived a very peaceful existence out there in the country.”
In a previous interview with the New York Times, Markus explained that they never really considered letting Tony come out of Endgame alive, since the first third of the movie already gave him “the perfect retirement life.” As for how exactly Iron Man would meet his sad fate, Markus told the LA Times that everything fell into place once Stark’s new Infinity Gauntlet came into the picture:
“We knew he was going to die but we wanted to put it in his hands as opposed to someone else’s. We didn’t always know that the Infinity Stones were going to be what caused it, but once we worked out the mechanics of it with the nano particle suit that both the gauntlet and his suit were made out of, it all worked too perfectly not to do.”
The moment is capped off by Tony delivering one final line that brings the franchise full circle. In response to Thanos’ boast that he is “inevitable,” Stark declares, “And I am Iron Man,” before snapping his fingers to save the universe.
In his interview with NYT, Markus argued that Tony’s demise “doesn’t feel like a tragedy. It feels like a heroic, finished life.” He may be right, but seeing how Avengers: Endgame is only just completing its second weekend in theaters, fans may still need a little more time to heal. On a related note, we’ll find out how Peter Parker is processing the death of his mentor when Spider-Man: Far From Home comes out on July 2nd.