Avengers: Endgame released in theaters almost 7 years ago to the day, and the movie still represents the pinnacle of greatness in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for many fans.
The Infinity Saga finale featured several moments that Marvel Studios may find difficult to top, including the "Portals" scene, Captain America lifting Mjölnir, and, of course, Iron Man's noble sacrifice.
Though the decision to kill off Tony Stark did prove to be somewhat divisive, the majority of fans seemed to feel that it was a fitting sendoff for the beloved hero. One man who did take issue with Stark's demise was Iron Man director Jon Favreau, who also appeared in Endgame as Happy Hogan.
During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote The Mandalorian and Grogu, Favreau revealed that he called up directors Anthony and Joe Russo to "push back" against their plan to bring Stark's time in the MCU to an end.
“I talked to the Russos, I said ‘I don’t know if people are gonna like … I don’t know, it’s really going to impact people because they were kids that grew up with that character,” Favreau said. “But I have to tell you, it was handled so well by them. And Gwyneth [Paltrow] 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.”
The filmmaker went on to admit that he got emotional during the scene in question.
“I was choked up,” he said. “Even though it’s a movie, those people, those characters, have been part of my life for so long.”
Favreau added that he’s “excited to see” RDJ as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, but not everyone is on board with Marvel's decision to bring the actor back.
Downey is believed to be playing a completely different character (Doom's resemblance to Stark may not even factor into the plot), but there are rumors that he may also play a Tony Stark variant in Avengers: Secret Wars, which really would cheapen the hero's death in the eyes of many fans.
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars were hit with significant delays last year, with Doomsday now set to arrive in theaters on December 18, 2026, and Secret Wars positioned for December 17, 2027.
Both movies will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.
Doomsday will star:
Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Lewis Pullman as Sentry, Florence Pugh as Yelena, Danny Ramirez as Falcon, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Sebastian Stan as Bucky, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, James Marsden as Cyclops, Channing Tatum as Gambit, and Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent
Along with Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Letitia Wright as Black Panther, Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, and, of course, Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.