The stakes were higher than they've ever been for the MCU's heroes in Avengers: Endgame, and that meant saying goodbye to a number of fan-favourite characters.
Among them was Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, as Tony Stark's story came to an end when he used the Infinity Stones to wipe out Thanos and his army. It was the ultimate sacrifice, but one that saved reality as we know it (until the Multiverse was broken open and Kang the Conqueror was unleashed).
Talking in the video below, filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo revealed that Iron Man director Jon Favreau wasn't initially on board with their plans to kill the Armoured Avenger.
"Part of the pressure came from Jon Favreau, who called us up after he read the script," Anthony recalled. "And [he] said to us, 'Are you guys really going to kill Iron Man?'" Joe then interjected to add, "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, you know, walking out of the theater and into traffic.'"
Anthony acknowledged that they likely "would've had the same reaction" if someone had dropped that reveal on them, though both admitted they knew this moment had to happen regardless of their fellow director's response.
Thanks to the MCU, Iron Man went from being a B-List comic book character to a fan-favourite on the big screen. Favreau's reaction is understandable considering he brought Tony Stark to life alongside Downey in 2008, but based on past interviews, we know the actor was ready to move on from the role by this point, anyway.
As for Iron Man, his legacy looks set to live on when Riri Williams is introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever before she suits up in her own Disney+ series, Ironheart.
Check out the full interview with the Russo Brothers below: