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Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man went through a profound journey in Avengers: Endgame and delivered an unforgettable line that was a touching callback to the very beginning of the Marvel movie franchise. As it turns out, that iconic moment almost never happened… because Downey Jr. reportedly didn’t want to say Tony Stark’s last major line.
Even though co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo lifted the ban on spoilers for Avengers: Endgame, we’re offering you one last warning: Major spoilers ahead!
And now for the juicy details. During a recent appearance on CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast, the Russo brothers opened up about Tony’s final scene in Avengers: Endgame. As you might recall, the hero equipped his own suit with the Infinity Stones, snapped his fingers, and promptly turned Thanos and his minions into space dust.
Right before Tony mirrored Thanos’ Decimation from Infinity War, the Mad Titan was clearly convinced that he had the upper hand,
But in a move displaying all the dry, cool, wit that makes Tony who he is – he flashed his hand to show Thanos he had the Infinity Stones – and then he said it:
“I am Iron Man.”
Of course, the line is a callback to the end of 2008’s Iron Man.
“I am Iron Man.”
Sadly, the Snap takes a toll on Tony’s body, and he dies shortly after that. He manages to speak a few more words before passing away… and then we get to hear him one more time in a heartwarming message that he recorded prior to his death. But Tony’s last big line is this proud assertion of his heroism.
But hold everything. As Joe and Anthony Russo tell it, Tony originally didn’t say those words at all. In fact, he originally didn’t say anything in that moment. An early cut of the film simply had Tony snap his fingers, and that was that. Enter Avengers: Endgame editor Jeff Ford, who pitched the idea of having Tony say:
“I am Iron Man.”
Once they heard the concept, the Russo brothers knew they had to reshoot the scene with that line included. But apparently Downey Jr. was initially uneasy with the idea. It took some convincing before he finally agreed to do a reshoot.
Joe Russo goes on to explain that producer Joel Silver is a close personal pal of Downey Jr.’s, and he just so happened to be eating with them.
Once Downey Jr. was on board, the crew reportedly headed back to the studio to reshoot the scene. As we said before, the newly-added line served as a touching nod to the very beginning of the MCU. But the whole reshooting process turned out to be a callback to Downey Jr.’s humble beginnings as Iron Man. Keep watching the video to see more about how Robert Downey Jr. did not want to say his final line in Endgame!
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