Robert Downey Jr. Didn’t Want To Film Iconic Iron Man Endgame Scene Initially

Robert Downey Jr. didn’t want to film Iron Man’s iconic final scene in Avengers: Endgame at first. In 2008, Jon Favreau kicked off the MCU with Iron Man, debuting the actor as Tony Stark. Since then, Downey has played the role ten times over the course of 11 years. He capped it off in 2019 in Joe and Anthony Russo’s Avengers: Endgame, which also marked the end of the Infinity Saga.

Admittedly, Tony’s superhero journey ended tragically, albeit in a sensible way. Even with Smart Hulk’s (Mark Ruffalo) reverse snap successfully bringing back those who perished in the snap, Iron Man realized that Earth was still in danger due to 2014 Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) existence. In the end, he sacrificed his own life to ensure the universe’s future. Tony snatched the Infinity Stones from the Mad Titan and embedded them on his own gauntlet. Before snapping his fingers, he boldly said: “I am Iron Man” – a response to Thanos previously declaring: “I am inevitable.” It was the perfect callback to the first Iron Man film where he uttered the same words to confirm his superhero identity. But, it almost didn’t happen, as Downey, apparently, didn’t want to shoot the scene.

Related: Avengers: Endgame Has A Missing Iron Man Story (What Happened To It?)

It’s worth noting that in the original Endgame cut, Iron Man didn’t say anything. But as the Russos were editing the movie, they came up with the idea of the hero uttering his iconic line. It had been quite a while since filming wrapped up, so when Downey was informed of the planned reshoots, the actor didn’t want to do it. MCU mastermind Kevin Feige and Anthony Russo break down the reason why in the new book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (via ComicBook). Read what they said below:

Feige: “Robert was telling me, when he found out that we wanted to come back and shoot a new version of, arguably, the most emotional shot, at first, he didn’t want to do it.”

Anthony Russo: “I mean, it’s not the kind of thing you dial up and dial down very easily. So, yeah, it was challenging for Robert to have to readdress it. It was hard for him to understand specifically where we were with the storytelling. When you’re in the edit room, working every day with the material, you have a depth of understanding with it. You’ve explored it in every possible way. It doesn’t mean a new idea can’t hit you. By that point, we were really sure what [the scene] needed.”

As explained by Anthony Russo, Downey didn’t want to shoot the scene just because he didn’t want to embody the character again. Filming Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame was emotional for everyone involved, especially since it’s the culmination of the MCU’s first decade of storytelling. But, it’s safe to assume that it was extra difficult for Downey since he’d been in the franchise since the beginning. Knowing that his time as Iron Man was ending would’ve been difficult since he embodied the role for more than ten years, and frankly, it also changed his whole life. Downey wasn’t just returning to film a random scene; this was Iron Man’s final defining moment, so it required mentally preparing for it. Making things so much harder is the fact that they reshot the aforementioned scene after he agreed to return at a stage in Raleigh Studio in Los Angeles. It is adjacent to the one that he test screened for Iron Man back in the late 2000s, which would’ve definitely evoked nostalgia.

Marvel Studios has ways to bring back Downey into the MCU if they want to. The multiverse offers narrative opportunities to do that without walking back on Iron Man’s death in Avengers: Endgame. But, as tempting as it is, it’s better if they don’t, especially since it hasn’t been that long since his rather well-done swan song. In any case, despite not having a physical presence in the franchise, Tony Stark’s presence looms large as his legacy continues to impact the future of the universe.

More: Kevin Feige Just Retconned His Own MCU Grand Plan

Source: The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (via ComicBook)

About The Author