The Russo Brothers have shed some light on the iconic line Iron Man delivers in Avengers: Endgame. Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark has had a lot of memorable dialogue over the years and the latest movie continues that tradition. However, it appears one specific line almost didn’t make it into the final cut of Endgame, according to the Russo Brothers. There are MAJOR SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame below, so read ahead at your own risk.
During the epic battle on Earth against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, the Mad Titan gains the upper hand, or so he thinks. He is face to face with Iron Man and he’s about to snap his fingers again and says, “I am inevitable,” only to snap his fingers and nothing happens. We learn that Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit was able to snatch the Infinity Stones, which gives Stark the time to deliver the ionic line: “And I am Iron Man.” Stark sacrifices himself to save the universe.
Avengers: Endgame screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely recently revealed that the movie was always going to be the end of the line for Tony Stark. With that being said, the “I am Iron Man” line nearly didn’t make it into the movie. The Russo Brothers were discussing what it was like to edit that particular scene and admitted it needed something extra. Joe Russo had this to say.
“Tony used to not say anything in that moment. And we were in the editing room going, ‘He has to say something. This a character who has lived and died by quips.’ And we just couldn’t, we tried a million different last lines. Thanos was saying ‘I am inevitable.’ And our editor Jeff Ford, who’s been with us all four movies and is an amazing storyteller, said ‘Why don’t we just go full circle with it and say I am Iron Man.’ And we’re like, ‘Get the cameras! We have to shoot this tomorrow.'”
Watching Tony Stark deliver the line in Avengers: Endgame delivered one of the biggest reactions from Marvel Cinematic Universe fans sitting in theaters witnessing it for the first time. It brought things all the way back to the beginning, where it all started and perfectly paid tribute to Tony Stark at the same time. For many MCU fans, they won’t be forgetting the dialogue for a long time to come.
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As for the line being such a late addition, it just goes to show that inspiration can strike at any time in the creative process, even when one is working on a movie as big as Avengers: Endgame. A quick little conversation brought everything back full circle and gave fans a lot to talk about after seeing the movie. The Russo Brothers response to the iconic Avengers: Endgame scene comes to us courtesy of Slash Film.
