‘Avengers: Endgame’ Theory Predicts That Iron Man Dies in Space

The Avengers: Endgame trailers and TV spots have been frustratingly vague in what they’ve revealed (or not revealed) about the film. In fact, at this point it’s hard to even say what big mission The Avengers are going on for their “Endgame,” or what threats (beyond Thanos) they might have to face.

As Marvel Cinematic Universe fans know full well, however, the level of secrecy goes even deeper than what Marvel Studios holds back from trailers; even the footage we see can’t be fully believed! Marvel is infamous for digitally altering shots to remove potential spoilers from advertising – or inserting shots and sequences that aren’t in the actual movie. And that brings us to one of the bigger twists of Avengers: Endgame that the trailers may be covering up: Namely, that Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man dies (or at least seemingly dies) in space, early on in the movie.

Taking account what we’ve seen (and not seen) so far: The first Avengers 4 trailer starts off with Iron Man in space aboard that Guardians of the Galaxy’s ship The Benatar, with the IMAX cut of the trailer confirming that Nebula is with him. Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) is seen recording his last rites into the Iron Man helmet, as food and water have run out, and Tony is on the last of his oxygen. He drops the line there’s no hope of rescue, leading fans to think its setup for a rescue – but maybe not?

The Avengers: Endgame Super Bowl Trailer added another piece to the puzzle, with a shot of Nebula and Tony working frantically on something in the Benatar – a clear visual throwback to Tony and Yinsen working to build the first Iron Man armor, the night before the Ten Rings would’ve executed them. Tony made it out of the cave, while Yinsen sacrificed himself; it would be poetic if Tony paid back that Karma by sacrificing himself this time, so another has a chance at changing the world. What we see Tony and Nebula working on could easily turn out to be a vessel or device to help transport the cyborg assassin to Earth – a trip we know she can survive, having seen the regenerative powers her cybernetics have. If you look closely at that shot, Nebula is definitely working on her own cybernetic hand, suggesting she’s definitely making some kind of modifications to herself.

Finally there’s the latest batch of footage in the new Avengers: Endgame full trailer and “Whatever it takes” TV spots. Both have shots of the surviving Avengers walking through Avengers HQ’s hangar, wearing those white Quantum Realm suits that were teased in merchandising. There, we see our only shots of Tony on Earth again – but the footage arguably looks questionable, as if it may have been manufactured for the advertising. The same can be said of Tony’s “Whatever it takes” voiceover: It’s the last one in the lineup, but sounds distinctly different. If you compare it to the first teaser, the line sounds almost like Tony is delivering it as part of the last rites message he’s recording on the Benatar. Later in that trailer and TV spot, there are actual scenes of Nebula being on Earth and interacting with the Avengers at their compound (and possibly during an attack on it), suggesting she definitely makes it back. She does.

Theory: How Iron Man’s Death Plays Out

Here’s is the proposed series of events that could occur in Avengers: Endgame’s first act, to reveal the massive twist of Tony’s death:

• Tony and Nebula run out of resources on the Benatar, forcing a hard decision that only one of them will survive.
• Tony not only records a goodbye for Pepper, but also a mission directive for Steve Rogers and any surviving Avengers about how to fix what Thanos broke.
• Based on rumors, Tony’s mission directive could include something like him pointing the Avengers to the B.A.R.F. tech from Captain America: Civil War, as Tony realizes from Doctor Strange’s visions of the future (and Stark’s own stated identity as a futurist trying to protect the world) that the solution to Thanos’ Decimation may ironically lie in examining the past.
• The Iron Man armor and Benatar tech are combined and added to Nebula, to get the Daughter of Thanos back to Earth.
• Nebula returns not only with Tony’s plans, but a final message for Pepper, and a fan-crushing goodbye for Steve Rogers and the Avengers, whose shoulders Tony puts the hope of the world upon, in his absence.
• Inspired by Tony’s sacrifice and message, the rest of the Avengers carry out his plan, with “Whatever it Takes” being the final mantra that Tony leaves the team with.

A lot of fans will have a lot of problems with the way this theorized series of events would rob them of a true sense of closure with Tony Stark/Iron Man. That’s very understandable – but so is the notion that thiscould be exactly the type of surprise the Russo Bros. want to gut-punch fans with in Endgame. This version of Iron Man’s end would complete Tony Stark’s full MCU arc in a lot of significant ways:

• Tony would pay back the second life Yinsen gave him, by giving Nebula a chance at redemption (something actress Karen Gilan has possibly hinted occurs).
• Tony would be making the exact kind of self-sacrifice for a greater good that Steve Rogers first asserted he would never make, during their argument in The Avengers.
• If Tony’s final message included something personal to Steve like “I felt like I owed you call,” fans would still crumble with feels, even if the two characters never meet face-to-face again onscreen like so many fans want.
• It would still explain Pepper Potts’ suiting up in her armor (as has been revealed in set photos), as the world would still need “Iron Man” to fight for it, and she would honor Tony’s legacy in that way until a proper successor (Ironheart!) is found.

It should also be remembered that the death of Tony Stark wouldn’t have to be permanent fixture. If Endgame alters history or the brings back the lost characters of Infinity War, then Tony could be one of those resurrections, and a change to history would potentially leave us with a different Tony than the noble hero who died (aka giving RDJ new material to work with going forward). He could “download” his consciousness into Nebula and store it for future use, which has happened in the comics, and would essentially make Tony the new J.A.R.V.I.S. Or, a later reveal in Endgame’s story (or even button scene) could reveal that some other cosmic character or entity found and saved Tony, setting up Iron Man as part of the MCU Cosmic franchise, going forward (also from the comics). It’s Marvel we’re talking about: death is never necessarily the end!

However, for my part, I hope that the Russos take a big risk and actually kill off Iron Man, godfather of the MCU, in a way that few see coming. This movie needs big stakes, and bigger consequences, and I could think of few things that would be better at establishing both.

How do you feel about this theory? Let us know in the comments!

Avengers: Infinity War is now available on home video, and Captain Marvel is now in theaters. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universemovies include Avengers: Endgame on April 26th, and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th.

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