Iron Man director Jon Favreau tried to save Tony Stark from his Avengers: Endgame fate.
During an interview with Vanity Fair, the Russo Brothers explained how they received a phone call from Favreau begging them to reconsider.
“Part of the pressure [not to kill Tony Stark] came from Jon Favreau, who called us up after he read the script… and said to us, ‘Are you really going to kill Iron Man?’” revealed Anthony Russo.
“He did. Yeah,” added Joe Russo. “And I remember pacing on the corner of a stage on the phone with Favreau trying to talk him off a ledge.”
Iron Man debuted in 2008 under Favreau’s direction – essentially kicking off the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it. But Favreau has also appeared throughout the MCU as Happy Hogan, Tony’s security chief, and best pal… so it’s nice to see he was still in Tony’s corner.
Tony Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame was one of the most powerful moments in the entire MCU, cementing Iron Man in legend while providing the perfect exclamation point to Tony’s story.
But Favreau was having none of it.
“Because he’s like, ‘You can’t do this,’” said Joe. “‘It’s gonna devastate people, and you don’t want them, you know, walking out of the theater and into traffic.’ We did it anyways.”
Ultimately, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely agreed with the Russos – this was the perfect note for Iron Man to end on… and it made so much sense.
“Everyone knew this was going to be the end of Tony Stark,” said McFeely.
“We had the opportunity to give him the perfect retirement life, within the movie,” added Markus. “[He already got that]. That’s the life he’s been striving for. Are he and Pepper going to get together? Yes. They got married, they had a kid, it was great. It’s a good death. It doesn’t feel like a tragedy. It feels like a heroic, finished life.”
Iron Man fans may feel his absence to this day, but it was the heroic end Tony deserved.
Want to read more about Marvel’s Avengers? Check out our guide to Marvel’s Phase 4 plans, as well as everything Marvel announced at San Diego Comic Con.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Source: IGN.com Jon Favreau Tried to Save Iron Man In Avengers: Endgame