Avengers: Endgame, as the final installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s decade-spanning, 22-movie Infinity Saga, faced a delicate balancing act in tying up so many loose story threads and character arcs from across the MCU while also delivering the epic blockbuster spectacle that fans have come to expect from the franchise. Obviously, though, the Russo brothers managed to pull it off, with Endgame going on to become the highest-grossing movie in history for good measure.
The climax of Endgame also saw the MCU lose its biggest star as Robert Downey Jr. ended his tenure as Tony Stark by sacrificing himself to save the universe from Thanos. For over a decade, the actor had essentially been the poster boy of the whole franchise, with Iron Man acting as the studio’s flagship character. This marked a huge loss for the MCU, and was further proof that Endgame would be a definitive end to the Infinity Saga.
Not only did Iron Man making the ultimate sacrifice bring the character’s journey full circle on the big screen though, but it also had a similar effect on Downey Jr., as co-director Joe Russo recently revealed that the actor shot his final scene for Endgame in the same building that he had first auditioned for the role over ten years ago.
“The stage that we shot it on was next door to where Robert did his original screen-test for Iron Man. So, it really did come full circle for him which made it very emotional. The day we finished that, with that being the last line, closing the book, closing the cover on the book, and it started a stage away and ended on this stage, I think was really resonant for him.”
It’s easy to forget that casting Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man was seen by many as a huge risk at the time, but the actor’s work as Tony Stark has both created one of popular culture’s biggest icons and made him one of the highest-paid actors on the planet. Given how closely he’s become associated with the character, Downey Jr. shooting his final scene in Avengers: Endgame in the place where his journey in the MCU first started marked a fitting end for the franchise’s biggest name.