Joe Russo Explains Why Iron Man Died in 'Endgame' Instead of Captain America
'Avengers: Endgame' was the swansong for Robert Downey Jr.'s character, Iron Man, who was the one to actually start Marvel Cinematic Universe. Regardless of how selfless and emotional Tony Stark's sacrifice was, some fans are still heartbroken about it.
It was Iron Man who had to snap his fingers wearing the Infinity glove and not Steve Rogers because the latter's death was way too obvious, the 'Endgame' co-director Joe Russo explained to Deadline.
When it comes to self-sacrifice and heroic acts, one's mind goes to Captain America first thing, Russo said. On the contrary, Tony Stark had to fight his ego all way long, so the ultimate sacrifice seemed like a more appropriate way to end his arc.
"That seems like a more interesting arc to us to take a character who had an ego because to die for others, you have to defeat the rights of that. It seemed like the more compelling arc to us that it would be Stark who died. So that it would be a richer more complex arc, and that's why we chose him," Russo told Deadline.
As painful as it was for the fans to say goodbye to Iron Man, the creators' decision paid off, as 'Endgame' became the highest-grossing movie of all time. Still, with years passing by, the Russo brothers' decisions regarding the Infinity saga are being scrutinized by Marvel fans, some of whom believe it was unfair to kill Tony Stark, and others not ready to accept his death even after realizing that's how his arc was supposed to end all along.
But it seems that now, three years later, we can finally let him go.