Joe Russo has confirmed rumours that Marvel Studios considered killing Tony Stark in Avengers: Infinity War, a decision that would have dramatically altered the events of Avengers: Endgame and one of the MCU's most impactful moments.
Sitting down with Robert Downey Jr. for an interview with CBR, the filmmaker said that every possibility was explored while developing the two-part finale to the Infinity Saga, including ending Iron Man's story one movie earlier than the 2019 blockbuster.
"This happens a lot in these rooms, right?" Russo explained. "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 jokingly interrupted with a simple request, "Mine is just, 'Don't kill me,'" prompting Russo to explain that the creative team seriously toyed with the possibility of catching audiences off guard by killing Tony in Avengers: Infinity War.
"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,'" he recalled. "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.'"
Avengers: Infinity War concluded with Thanos wiping out half of all life in the universe, leaving Tony stranded in space, but alive to deal with the aftermath. Five years later, the surviving heroes mounted a final stand against the Mad Titan in Avengers: Endgame, with Stark sacrificing himself after using the Infinity Stones to erase Thanos and his army from existence.
Tony's death became one of the defining moments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and served as a fitting conclusion for the hero who launched the franchise back in 2008. Had Marvel Studios gone in a different direction, however, Endgame might have been unrecognisable.
One possibility is that Iron Man may have died during the battle on Titan, while another would have seen the Armored Avenger among those erased by the Snap, allowing him to return five years later alongside Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Still, that would have meant no Morgan Stark and less of an emotional impact had he still said "I am Iron Man" while staring Thanos down.
Of course, Downey's time with Marvel isn't quite over. The Oscar-winning actor will return to the MCU, but not as Iron Man. Instead, Downey is set to portray Victor Von Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, reuniting him with Joe and Anthony Russo.
There isn't expected to be a connection between Iron Man and Doctor Doom, but it still feels like that's something Marvel Studios will touch on in some way. At the very least, we expect Downey to don the red and gold armour again before the Multiverse Saga ends.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.