Why the Russo Brothers had [SPOILER] Make the Ultimate Sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame

Everyone was expecting Avengers: Endgame to be the last movie which had Robert Downey Jr. play Iron Man, and though a lot of people were expecting it, it was still hard to watch Tony Stark die after snapping Thanos' army away with the Infinity Gauntlet. Talking to Youth Circle, Endgame co-director Joe Russo talks about the decision to have Tony Stark be the one to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Russo explained:

"Thor can't stand it, only the Hulk can, we don't know if Captain Marvel can withstand the energy of the gem… Finally, let Iron Man do this because he is the closest. In the futures Dr. Strange saw, only Iron Man is close enough to do it at the moment. People tend to think of the death of a hero as a bad thing, but sometimes it is not like this. When his death can be exchanged for hope and can save half of the life of the universe, then his sacrifice is a heroic epic. It is full of power and has an important meaning. At this point, people should not be immersed in sadness or anger."

I guess you could say that the character of Tony Stark has already gone full circle, whereas we started the MCU with him being a womanizing alcoholic, we end with him being a wholesome father who sacrificed everything for the world. It's even amazing that they were able to make his last words, "I am Iron Man."

For now, Tony Stark has left a huge hole in the MCU, and hopefully, it will get filled come Spider-Man: Far from Home. With Captain America already finding his replacement, I'm curious how long the MCU is going to run before they decide on the next Iron Man.

Catch Iron Man one last time in Avengers: Endgame now in theaters.

See Also: Avengers: Endgame Directors Needed Robert Downey Jr Approval On Tony Stark's Fate