So, you've seen the new Avengers 4 trailer. You might be shellshocked, and you also might be watching it for the 67th time already. But one thing that might also be on your mind, especially after the first 50 seconds, is what's up with Tony Stark being isolated in space? Will Iron Man die in Avengers: Endgame? While it's very difficult to even fathom for fans of Iron Man, the chances of him coming out of this movie alive... aren't very good. And he seems to think so, too.
On Dec. 7, the very first trailer and footage from Avengers: Endgame — the fourth installment of the Avengers series within the Marvel Cinematic Universe — was released, and it didn't disappoint fans who have been waiting for any news about the movie since last April's Avengers: Infinity War. Anyone who's even heard a little bit about that film knows that it ended in a ton of deaths — 50 percent of the world, in fact. And now the remaining heroes, including all the original Avengers plus some others, have to figure out how they're going to fix what happened, or die trying. This, of course, includes Tony Stark. And from what the trailer shows, he is ready for the latter.
This much-anticipated trailer starts with a shot of Iron Man's helmet, badly broken in the wake of his last fight with Thanos. He's seemingly all alone on a spaceship, without power, floating along. He's recording a message to Pepper Potts on his helmet, adding in a little humor. "Hey Ms. Potts. If you find this recording, don't feel bad about this," he starts his message off. "Part of the journey is the end. Just for the record, being adrift in space with zero promise of rescue is more fun than it sounds."
Tony has already run out of food and water, and his oxygen is set to go the following morning, so he really has to hit it home with, "When I drift off, I will dream about you. It's always you." Nothing like a good punch in the heart, right?
Fans will remember that the last time Tony saw Pepper was on Earth, when a couple Children of Thanos came to Manhattan, Ebony Maw took Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man sneaked onto the spacecraft. Iron Man went onto the ship, too, which Pepper was extremely unhappy with, and their last goodbye was eerily similar to Captain America and Peggy Carter's from Captain America: The First Avenger.
So, now Tony's in the cold, dark space. But how did he get there? Odds are, after the fight on Titan, he was so stricken with grief from what he'd watched, and of course what he'd lost, that he went off trying to find a solution. The only other person to survive on Titan was Nebula, and as you can see, she's not with him, nor is he on Titan anymore. So he got off, but instead of going back to Earth where the remaining Avengers (and Ms. Potts) are, he went on a solo mission. And it hasn't been successful.
Going into more speculation, he probably won't die in that tiny, out-of-power ship. He's Iron Man, and he can't die that way. Odds are, though, that Tony Stark's story will start this way, then be saved by either Captain Marvel on her way to Earth in response to Fury's pager, or someone else. However, he's still most likely going to meet his end during this movie.
For one, Doctor Strange gave away that Time Stone way too willingly. He specifically told Peter and Tony before that if it came down to it, he'd leave them to die if it meant saving that stone. However, in the 14 million versions of their fight against Thanos, there was only one where they survived. It had to have been the future where Star-Lord messes up Spider-Man and Iron Man in getting the Infinity Gauntlet off, and Doctor Strange hands over the stone to save Tony. So there's a chance, still, to defeat Thanos and possibly restore what he disintegrated, but that might also mean Tony is on borrowed time.
Another reason is that Robert Downey Jr. will have beautifully played this part for over a decade by this point. And it's a little too clean-cut that the core cast of the original Avengers survived the first movie. It most likely happened because they're going to be the hardest goodbyes, therefore dying in this final Avengers installment (maybe not all of them but certainly Iron Man).
Also, as reported by The Verge, the contracts for Downey Jr. — and other main Avengers like Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Scarlett Johansson — are all set to expire after this last one. That, of course, doesn't mean new ones can't be drawn up, but why would they? When there are 20 more years worth of Marvel films coming up, with 7,000 characters at their disposal, according to Vanity Fair, why not give fans major heartbreak and then rebuild into something new? The MCU has already successfully done that first part in Infinity War, and there's no stopping them from doing it again in Endgame.
Kevin Feige, president of production at Marvel Studios, also has pointed out that there are two "periods" to the MCU: "Everything before Avengers 4 and everything after.” A perfect way to reset it all would be to start with the newer characters and move from there, adding new heroes as they go. And if Iron Man meets his end, then that leaves room for another to step into the role, possibly opening the door for Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, to be brought to the big screen. A black teen girl in one of the biggest superhero roles? Yes, please!
This is in no way a plea for Iron Man to be offed. If Tony Stark were to die in Avengers: Endgame, massive amounts of fans would mourn their favorite character. The man who started it all, and made the MCU what it is today, would be a very hard loss to handle. How will Pepper take it? Who will be the one to get on Cap's nerves, or just be his typical, "genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist" self? And who will step into the father figure role for Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Far From Home? But Tony is a hero, and heroes make the toughest choices and sacrifices for the greater good. So, just make sure you come to the theaters on April 26, 2019 with many tissues, and a few hours to mentally break down afterward.
