The MCU Almost Lost Tony Stark Way Before ‘Endgame,’ and the Russo Brothers Just Proved It
Few characters in modern blockbuster history have carried a franchise the way Tony Stark did for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Iron Man was the beating heart of an interconnected saga that stretched over a decade, and when his time finally came, it hit audiences in a way that studios have been chasing ever since. But according to the directors who shaped that ending, the journey to that moment was far less certain than fans have ever known.
As part of the lead-up to the release of ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ CBR has been revisiting the Russo Brothers’ previous MCU collaborations, starting with a deep dive into ‘Captain America: Civil War’ in honor of that film’s tenth anniversary. That conversation naturally extended to ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ and when the interview for ‘Infinity War’ was scheduled, the Russos asked if Robert Downey Jr. could join them. That decision turned out to be far more revealing than anyone expected.
During that conversation, Joe Russo opened up about the creative process behind the two-part Infinity Saga finale and revealed that nothing was off the table when the filmmakers were mapping out the story, including the possibility of killing Tony Stark in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ instead of saving his final sacrifice for ‘Endgame.’ Russo explained it in his own words to CBR: “This happens a lot in these rooms. We try to investigate all angles, right? Everything’s up for grabs. We always say, ‘Best idea wins.’ And a lot of the times you gotta 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–k it, let’s just do it in the next movie.'”
The theory had long been fueled by a scene in ‘Infinity War’ where Thanos stabs Iron Man, which would have given the creative team the perfect opportunity to kill the hero. The Russo Brothers ultimately changed their minds, deciding that Tony’s death would be more compelling after he overcame his ego in ‘Endgame,’ creating one of the MCU’s most iconic moments when he snapped his fingers and said “I am Iron Man” before dying. And as for Downey himself, RDJ chimed in during the interview with a reveal of his own: his one consistent contribution during development on the Avengers films was simply, “Don’t kill me.”
The decision wasn’t without its battles behind the scenes. Jon Favreau, who directed the original ‘Iron Man,’ was staunchly against the move, with Joe Russo recalling in a Vanity Fair video interview: “I remember pacing on the corner of a stage on the phone with Favreau trying to talk him off a ledge because he’s like, ‘You can’t do this. It’s gonna devastate people, and you don’t want them walking out of the theater and into traffic.'” The Russos did it anyway.
With ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ wrapped and arriving this December, the Russo Brothers are set to bring Robert Downey Jr. back to the MCU, this time as villain Victor Von Doom, a Thanos-level threat from the comics known for his obsession with gaining cosmic powers. Marvel is also re-releasing ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in theaters ahead of the new film, a move that is likely to stoke fresh appreciation for the sacrifice that nearly happened one chapter too soon.
Knowing how differently ‘Endgame’ could have landed if Tony Stark had fallen in ‘Infinity War,’ do you think the Russo Brothers made the right call, or would an earlier death have hit even harder?
