MCU’s Avengers: Endgame, which premiered in 2019, is still deeply ingrained in the memories of audiences, and its exceptional standard has made it a tough act to follow for subsequent Marvel Studios releases. The poignant death of Iron Man in the film left viewers in tears, and a digital artist who contributed to the movie recently shared insights about this emotional scene, disclosing that there were even more “gruesome” alternate versions of Robert Downey Jr.’s character. Read on for the inside details!
Robert Downey Jr.’s character in the MCU completed a full circle, as he was the one who initiated the superhero franchise and ultimately concluded an era with his character’s farewell. Witnessing his demise on the big screen left audiences emotionally shattered, with many fearing they would never again see him don his iconic armor suits. This sentiment extended beyond RDJ; Chris Evans’ Captain America and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow also wrapped up their character arcs in the same film.
Aaron Black, a digital artist at Weta Digital, recently shed light on the alternative takes for the final moments of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame. This occurred when he bravely took the Infinity Stones from Thanos and snapped to eradicate them from Earth, leading to his own tragic demise as a mere human with no superpowers. The version we ultimately saw on screen was already heart-wrenching, but Aaron revealed that there were even more harrowing outcomes that would have been extremely difficult for everyone to watch.
As reported by ComicBook Movie, the digital artist explained, “We explored different concepts for the damage inflicted on Tony Stark by the exploding Infinity Gauntlet. Given that this was the death scene of such a beloved character, it was handled with the utmost sensitivity. Tony needed to endure damage severe enough to make it clear he wouldn’t survive, yet it couldn’t be excessively gruesome or obscure the actor’s performance.”
In a previous statement, Joe Russo discussed the significance of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man making the ultimate sacrifice. Russo said, “When you think about Captain America as a character, his self-sacrifice is fairly obvious. It’s something he would do. This is a guy who volunteered for a science experiment to fight Nazis during World War II. He’s inherently a hero.”
He went on to add, “There isn’t a lot of complexity there. It might be emotionally impactful because you like him. He’s a very likable character, but it’s not necessarily the most compelling character arc. Tony Stark, on the other hand, was a character destined for this sacrifice. We felt that it would be a more compelling character arc if Stark were the one to make this sacrifice, creating a richer and more complex narrative. That’s why we chose him.”
Speculations have circulated that Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, also known as Tony Stark, might return in Captain America 4: New World Order. However, there has been no official confirmation regarding this possibility as of yet.