Avengers: Endgame Encore Just Reminded Everyone Who Iron Man Really Died For

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is gearing up for two of the most important movies released under the mighty superhero banner with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. After several years and a mixed bag of hits and misses, the one thing guaranteed to get fans fully invested in the comic book saga again – as if this summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day didn’t prove that Marvel is a long way from dead – is bringing the biggest superhero movie of all time back to cinemas and throwing in a little extra footage in the name of continuity. It is therefore no surprise that Avengers: EndgameEncoresnapped its way to the top of the box office over the past weekend as audiences returned to theaters to watch Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man sacrifice himself for the sake of humanity. Yet, that might not have happened if not for the unlikely bond between Tony Stark and another young superhero.

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While the events of Avengers: Endgame pivoted on who could get their hands on the six infinity stones first, the real endgame was Tony Stark’s redemption arc. Spanning the entire first 10 years of the MCU, Tony’s journey from a mostly self-preserving playboy to the man who sacrificed everything he had to save the universe is one that had plenty of forks in the road along the way. After risking his life during the Battle of New York in 2012, Tony’s stance over the best way to protect the planet from alien entities resulted in a huge rift that broke up the Avengers until the events of Infinity War. The fallout of Thanos’ victory saw the team going their separate ways, with Tony setting up a new family life with no intention of putting it in jeopardy for anyone, even when Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff and Scott Lang came calling with their “time heist” plan. But that changed when he was reminded of one person he lost when Thanos snapped his fingers: Peter Parker.

The Fatherly Bond that Defined Tony Stark

Understanding the evolution of Tony Stark from his “I am Iron Man” moment in his 2008 MCU debut to him uttering the same line over a decade later is one that needs you to trace a path through his timeline, including all the way back to his meeting with his own father in 1970. Tony entered the franchise as a man whose judgement was often clouded by his genius and his need to put his wealth and mind on display for the world to see regardless of the cost to those around him. Audiences first saw this begin to change when he sought out Peter Parker in Civil War, which grew with his bond to the teenager in Spider-Man: Homecomingas he became a reluctant but protective mentor to the young hero as he found his way to becoming New York’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Over time, Peter became not only a student but like a surrogate son, which turned him into Tony’s greatest weakness.

All of this became apparent in the final moments of Infinity War, when Peter turned to dust in Tony’s arms in one of the franchise’s most gut-wrenching moments. In Endgame, after initially stepping away from the idea of helping work out how to navigate the quantum realm and potentially bring back all the people lost, he sees a photo of himself with Peter and there is a moment of realisation that reminds him that he did lose someone close during the snap. This is what sets him on a collision course with the 1 in 14 million fate Doctor Strange saw and the moment that he becomes not only the man he was meant to be but the one his father wished that he could have been.

The Redemption of Iron Man

Tony Stark was never a true villain of the MCU, but he often had a fatal flaw in that he believed his genius was far superior to anyone else around him. This frequently led to him failing to read the room, alienating his team, and allowing his arrogance to cloud his judgement. His arc from Iron Man to Endgamewas a slow-burn evolution that really only gained momentum when remembering Peter spurred him to create the regulators required for the Avengers to travel into the past to acquire the six infinity stones. His decision also led to a poignant meeting with his own father in 1970, during which Howard Stark shared his nervousness about the impending birth of his first child and how he wished that he was someone who could put the greater good ahead of his own self worth more often. While it was Peter’s photo that triggered Tony to get on board the “time heist,” it is likely this conversation with his father that pushed him into his final act of redemption.

When it comes to perfect movie moments, there are few in modern cinema that can match the moment when Tony Stark completes the circle and utters “I am Iron Man” for the final time before snapping Thanos and his army out of existence at the expense of his own life. For those who followed the MCU from day one, it was at devastatingly perfect conclusion to the most ambitious story ever told on the big screen. To emphasise exactly why Tony did what he did, Peter was the first person to run to his mentor’s side in a bittersweet reunion that mirrored the final moments ofInfinity War. Iron Man may have died for the greater good, but returning to watch Endgameseven years on has reminded everyone that, in the end, none of it would have happened if he had not realized that losing Peter in the snap was just like losing a son. Of course the question now, is did Tony’s act also send the MCU spiralling towards Doomsday? We will find out this December when the next Avengers movie hits theaters.

Have you returned to theaters to see Avengers: Endgame on the big screen again? Let us know in the comments.

Marvel’s Controversial Avengers: Endgame Encore Change Is Paying Off Ahead of Doomsday

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