It is one of the most memorable moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the lasting memory fans have going into the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. I am, of course, talking about the heroic death of Iron Man, who sacrificed himself to snap Thanos out of existence in Avengers: Endgame.
It was a hugely emotional moment for fans who had followed Tony Stark’s journey from the first Iron Man movie to this final, dramatic moment for his character. And it’s hard to imagine Endgame and what followed without that moment. But Jon Favreau, who directed, produced, and appeared as Happy Hogan in Iron Man and Iron Man 2, the man who fought for Robert Downey Jr. to play Iron Man in the first place, was dead against Iron Man dying.
That much was known. But now, in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Favreau — who is on the road promoting his new movie, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, admitted he was wrong.
“I talked to the Russos,” Favreau said, discussing his opposition to their desire to kill off Iron Man. “I was like, I think it's going to really impact people because there were kids that grew up with that character.
“But I have to tell you, it was handled so well by them, and Gwyneth [Paltrow, who played Pepper Potts] and Robert did such a wonderful job acting, and I think it added a poignancy to it. I think they did a wonderful job. I was wrong. I was wrong."
He continued: “I was choked up because I had, you know, even though it's a movie, those people, those characters have been part of my life for so long.”
Some fans would say the MCU has struggled to match the death of Iron Man in terms of impact and quality in the seven years since Endgame came out. But the Russo Brothers are back, with this December’s Avengers: Doomsday and next year’s Avengers: Secret Wars, and Robert Downey Jr. is set to return not as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom.
"I'm excited to see it," Favreau said, keeping his cards close to his chest.
Interestingly, Joe Russo has confirmed the upcoming Avengers: Endgame re-release in theaters will include new footage that is "critical" to the story of Avengers: Doomsday. Instead of tacking on a previously unseen clip or behind-the-scenes videos from Endgame, Russo said the new footage is set around the story of Doomsday. It’s for this reason, he said, that it is vital to bring Endgame back to theaters ahead of Doctor Doom’s arrival later this year.
Could Iron Man’s death be a part of it?
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
