How the First Iron Man Movie Ties Into Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame wrapped up the Infinity Saga, Marvel’s 10-year, 22-film story that began in Iron Man in 2008. Endgame referenced and returned to several Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, and Iron Man is no exception.

The Iron Man callbacks are all of the heart-wrenching variety. Endgame concludes Tony Stark’s journey with his heroic sacrifice and death. After that sacrifice is made, there are several callbacks that will hit home for Marvel Cinematic Universe fans who have been following Iron Man’s story from the beginning.

After Tony’s death, the Avengers and his other friends hold a funeral outside of the home he lived in with Pepper Potts and their child, Morgan. As part of the service, they take Tony’s original arc reactor — the one that saved his life when he was taken as a hostage in Afghanistan — and float it out onto the water. The arc reaction is housed in a casing that reads “Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.” This was a gift given to Tony by Pepper in Iron Man.

After the ceremony, Happy Hogan checks in with Morgan. Happy tears up a bit when Morgan says she wants a cheeseburger. The moment reminds him of when Tony returned to America after escaping captivity. Once back home, Tony craved cheeseburger, eating them during his first press conference. Happy promises to get Morgan “all of the cheeseburgers.”

Finally, Avengers: Endgame didn’t have a proper post-credits scene. Instead, the film ends with the Marvel logo and the sound of metal hitting metal. This sound is a callback Tony building the very first Iron Man armor in that cave, hammering away at the armor with the tools the terrorists had provided him. It’s a way of Marvel bringing the entire Infinity Saga full circle.

What did you think of all these callbacks to the original Iron Man? Let us know in the comments.

Avengers: Endgame is now playing in theaters. Captain Marvel is also still playing in theaters. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 2nd.

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