AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Director Reveals Iron Man Was Almost Killed Off in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
It's hard to imagine the Marvel Cinematic Universe without Tony Stark's emotional farewell in Avengers: Endgame, but according to Avengers: Doomsday co-director Joe Russo, Marvel seriously considered ending Iron Man's story a full movie earlier.
During a conversation with Robert Downey Jr. for CBR, Russo opened up about the creative process behind Marvel's two-part Infinity Saga finale and revealed that nothing was off the table when the filmmakers were mapping out the story.
That included the possibility of killing Tony Stark in Avengers: Infinity War instead of saving his final sacrifice for Endgame. As Russo explained:
"This happens a lot in these rooms, right? We try to investigate all angles. Everything's up for grabs. We always say, 'Best idea wins.' And a lot of the time you gotta stretch..."
Downey then jumped in with a humorous response that perfectly sums up where his priorities were at the time:
"Mine is just, 'Don't kill me.'"
That led Russo to elaborate on how seriously the creative team explored the idea of catching audiences completely off guard by taking Iron Man out before the conclusion of the Infinity Saga.
"We have to stretch the taffy a little bit, pull the taffy a little bit, stretch it, see where it goes. There was a moment where we thought, 'They're not expecting it. This could be the best place to possibly do it.’
"But then we'd have to figure out how he could potentially still participate in the next movie. And then we went, "F*** it, let's just do it in the next movie.'"
Infinity War ended with Thanos successfully wiping out half of all life in the universe. Tony survived the Snap, but found himself stranded in space and forced to live with the consequences of his failure.
That survival ultimately paved the way for one of the MCU's most memorable story arcs in Endgame, where Stark settled down, became a father to Morgan Stark, and eventually made the ultimate sacrifice to stop Thanos once and for all.
Had Marvel gone another direction, Endgame could have looked completely different. Iron Man might have died during the battle on Titan. He could have even been one of the heroes erased by the Snap, only to return five years later alongside Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Either scenario would have dramatically changed the emotional weight of the story.
More importantly, fans likely would have missed out on one of the MCU's defining moments when Tony stared down Thanos and declared, "I am Iron Man" before snapping his fingers.
That scene landed so powerfully because audiences had spent more than a decade watching the character grow from a self-centered genius into a hero willing to give everything to save the universe.
Looking back now, it's hard to argue with the choice Marvel made. Tony Stark's death in Endgame became the emotional centerpiece of the film and served as a fitting conclusion for the character who launched the MCU with Iron Man in 2008.
Of course, Downey's Marvel journey isn't finished yet. The actor is returning to the franchise in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. This time, however, he won't be suiting up as Iron Man. Instead, he'll be stepping into the role of Victor Von Doom, one of Marvel's most iconic villains, reuniting with Joe and Anthony Russo for another massive MCU event.
Marvel Studios has indicated that Doctor Doom won't simply be a variant of Tony Stark, but it's difficult to believe the franchise won't acknowledge the visual similarities in some way. Whether that's through a quick reference or something more substantial remains to be seen.
Avengers: Doomsday is currently set to hit theaters on December 18.