Avengers: Endgame Fan Discovers Major Callback to First Iron Man Movie

Avengers: Endgame was nothing short a spectacle — well, depending on who you ask — enough so, fans are still poring over it nearly half a year later looking for additional Easter eggs and clues. One eagle-eyed Marvel fan recently noticed a massive callback to Iron Man in a now-viral Reddit post. Posted Friday, Reddit user u/WolverineKuzuri93 made a meme showing Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Ho Yinsen (Shaun Toub) as they make the first version of Tony's arc reactor.

Included in the meme is the exchange where Yinsen reminds Tony the reactor could power his heart for "50 lifetimes" before Tony responds by countering the fact it could power "something big" for 15 minutes. Then, like a swift punch to the gut, the meme shows Stark's fatal "I am Iron Man" moment towards the end of Avengers: Endgame, suggesting the fact it's Stark's arc reactor that eventually allowed him to wield all six Infinity Stones.

Or something REALLY big for 15 seconds. It just dawned on me how Tony was able to not only wield the stones but also do so without immediately being incapacitated like the Hulk was. His Arc reactor took the bulk of the energy. from r/marvelstudios

After Endgame hit theaters, co-writer Christopher Markus wasn't afraid to admit he, his writing partner Stephen McFeely, and those involved in making the film weren't afraid to dive into fan service moments head first.

"These movies would be nonexistent without the fans. So, you know, a movie that is made to frustrate fans seems a little suicidal," Markus told Variety in May. "People say 'fan service' like you are pandering to some niche. I mean, we've all seen the numbers that these movies make. The fans are the majority at this point. Fan service is simply honoring the stories that have come before. It's not like we're pulling out a tiny Easter egg that only three people are going to get. It's just tying up the threads; it's picking up the nuances that have been dropped earlier. I don't see it as any kind of niche writing."

Other upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision is set to hit Disney+ Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.

Do you think we'll ever see Stark again? When and where? Share your thoughts in the comments or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt to chat all things MCU!