The ending of Avengers: Endgame was quite the spectacle to behold for every Marvel fan. The MCU finally saw Thanos’ demise to the collective power of superheroes on earth and some from elsewhere. But it was Robert Downey Jr’s iconic Iron Man famous line that really puts the cherry on top at the very end.
Avengers: Endgame remains fresh in our memories despite it being three years since we saw it, and it is perhaps one of the best-ever MCU movies or superhero movies in general! That Iron Man line was the perfect dialogue to finally stop The Mad Titan’s campaign to “bring stability” to the universe. But did you know that Downey Jr. almost didn’t say those iconic words?
Robert Downey Jr. Refused To Say THAT Line In Avengers: Endgame
The death of a memorable character whose appearance has been frequented in a lot of movies can hit fans of that franchise like a truck. Iron Man’s death in Avengers: Endgame was no less of a heartbreaking death with Marvel fans pouring in their tributes after watching the theatrical release of Endgame.
Robert Downey Jr‘s Iron Man was a role that was made for him- he looks the part, his real-life personality is just like Tony Stark’s, he’s good-looking, and he’s smart. Despite all that, the 57-year-old actor’s on-screen death hit the hardest because it was Iron Man that kicked off the MCU franchise in 2008.
It’s no doubt that a lot of you remember the somewhat cheesy but jaw-dropping ending of 2008’s Iron Man, where Tony Stark just straight up reveals that he is the man behind the armor suit saying “I am Iron Man” as all the press members and reporters collectively lose their calm upon hearing that.
Well, just 11 years later Tony Stark would end up saying that iconic line with some slight alterations and a completely different fate for the character compared to the first MCU movie! But did you know that he had to be convinced into saying it for the one last battle he was going to be in?
The Russo Brothers recently spoke during an appearance on the ReelBlend podcast where Joe Russo explained how that memorable shot and dialogue almost didn’t come together-
“It’s an interesting story. I had dinner with [Robert Downey Jr.] like two weeks before we were supposed to shoot it. And he was like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t really want to go back and get into that emotional state. It’ll take … it’s hard.'”
He continues-
“And crazily enough, Joel Silver, the producer, was at the dinner. He’s an old buddy of Robert’s. And Joel jumps in and he’s like, ‘Robert, what are you talking about? That’s the greatest line I’ve ever heard! You gotta say this line! You have to do this!’ So thank God that Joel Silver was at dinner, because he helped us talk Robert into doing that line.”
I think we all owe Joel Silver a hearty thanks for speaking up at that conversation. God knows what line of dialogue would’ve been used instead for such a pivotal scene!
Robert Downey Jr’s Rumored Tony Stark Comeback
Robert Downey Jr’s on-screen death as Tony Stark/ Iron Man is hands down one of the saddest scenes in the MCU. But it looks like the Zodiac star might just be making a comeback to the franchise.
According to the latest reports from a reputable industry insider named MyTimeToShineHello, Marvel Studios has brought up a masterplan to bring back the armored superhero in the upcoming sixth Avengers movie Avengers: Secret Wars.
While this is only a rumor, let’s emphasize the word “masterplan” in the previous paragraph because bringing a pivotal character like Tony Stark to life will require the MCU to fill in a lot of plot holes.
Although the upcoming Secret Wars movie is probably not going to be based on the comics, it wouldn’t make sense to not have Iron Man in the epic crossover event where superheroes and villains battle it out in glorious fashion.
Source: Insider