SALT LAKE CITY — “Avengers: Endgame” writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely told ComicBook.com in a recent interview that there were almost other deaths in “Endgame.”

Markus said the team played around with different ideas before settling on (spoilers) Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) to make the ultimate sacrifice.

“We may have played with some others ... but arc-wise and mathematically it is the perfect ending for Tony Stark. He needs to make a sacrifice — he needs to make the ultimate sacrifice, when you go from selfish to that.”

What happened: In “Avengers: Endgame,” Tony Stark sacrifices his life to save the entire universe from Thanos. He dons an Iron Man-style Infinity Gauntlet, snaps his fingers and eliminates Thanos and his army from existence. Stark says, “I am Iron Man” right before he snaps his finger. That line was actually an ad-lib that Downey Jr. came up with, according to IndieWire.

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige said he was excited by the line and approved leaving it in, according to IndieWire.

View Comments

Feige said Stark’s line ties back to the original reveal in “Iron Man” when Stark reveals he is the titular character.

  • “That success inspired us to go further in the trusting ourselves to find balance of staying true to the comics and the spirit of the comics but not being afraid to adapt and evolve and to change things,” Feige said.
  • “It’s a fine line. If you’re changing something for no reason, that’s one thing, but if you’re changing something because you want to double-down on the spirit of who the character is? That’s a change we’ll make. Tony Stark not reading off the card and not sticking with the fixed story? Him just blurting out ‘I am Iron Man?’ That seems very much in keeping with who that character is.”
Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.