Robert Downey Jr.’s death scene in Avengers: Endgame will perhaps be the most poignant moment in all of the MCU movies. While fans did not see it coming in the Infinity Saga finale, Downey Jr. knew about Iron Man’s fate from around the time of filming Captain America: Civil War. Marvel boss Kevin Feige pitched the idea to the Oppenheimer actor after getting inspired by another Marvel film. Feige was impressed by how Hugh Jackman’s character arc ended in Logan.
Logan gave a fitting conclusion to Jackman’s Wolverine. At the end of the film, he sacrifices his life for his biological daughter, Laura, and other young mutants. The film became the best-reviewed film in the X-Men franchise.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Endgame Death Was Inspired By Hugh Jackman’s Logan
When Kevin Feige and the Russo brothers planned the Infinity Saga finale movies, they wanted the films to have an impact, especially Avengers: Endgame. They decided that the film should have lasting consequences on the universe, despite the Avengers defeating Thanos. Feige explained in a Q&A session with Empire Magazine that the audience previously had this sense that deaths didn’t matter in the MCU films.
He shared that many fans wanted real stakes and emotions from the films, just like the comics. Feige shared that he often had the thought, ‘Be careful what you wish for’, when the decision was made to kill off Robert Downey Jr.‘s character. However, the studio never questioned the decision once it was made. Kevin Feige shared with Empire:
“People were clamouring for, not death necessarily, but stakes and real emotion. And I remember thinking, ‘be careful what you wish for,’ as we started getting closer to this. But we never questioned it. All of the angst and all of the effort went into sticking the landing, to making it worthwhile.”
Feige also revealed the inspiration behind Tony Stark’s death scene in the film. He shared that Logan gave him the idea to make things final for the movie’s main character. Feige shared that he was emotionally moved by the amazing ending that Hugh Jackman received in his final X-Men film. He added that he desperately wanted to give Downey Jr.’s character such a goodbye in the film. Feige shared:
“We saw Logan like the audience did, in a theater having nothing to do with the making of that film and went, ‘oh my god, what an amazing ending for Hugh as this character.’ And there are only a handful of examples where an actor so associated with a character can go out perfectly. And Logan is the only one that jumps to mind right now, there are not that many of them. And that’s what we desperately wanted to give Robert, and that was what our focus was on.”
It appears that Marvel fandom should thank James Mangold and Jackman for the exceptional climax of Avengers: Endgame. Interestingly, Logan was critically acclaimed for its emotional depth, screenplay, and performances. It became the third-highest-grossing R-rated film at the time of its release, collecting $619.2 million at the box office.
Robert Downey Jr. Knew About His Character’s Death Way Before Endgame Script Was Written
Kevin Feige shared that when it came to killing off a main character, Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark was the prominent choice due to his contract expiring after Avengers: Endgame. Feige pitched the idea to Downey Jr. way back in December 2015, while filming Captain America: Civil War. In his pitch, he also told the Sherlock Holmes actor that there would be a Spider-Man film and a two-part Avengers film after Civil War.
Feige also shared that while the prospect of killing off Tony Stark did not seem real at first, the entire crew became emotional as his journey came to an end in Endgame. Feige shared:
“It took a little while, but eventually it came together. I think at first it doesn’t seem real that this journey will come to an end. But as it got closer to filming, it really was emotional for all of us, and particularly for him.”
Logan, Avengers: Endgame, and all other X-Men and MCU movies are now available for streaming on Disney+.
