The final battle of Avengers: Endgame made for a truly epic conclusion, as Tony Stark sacrificed himself to defeat Thanos for good, and the line he delivered as he did so was a reference to the very first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It seems like one of those lines that was always in the script, but it actually was written in post-production, and Robert Downey Jr. wasn't even all that keen on saying it at first. Thankfully, he finally came around to it, but let's take a look at the details of Robert Downey Jr. not wanting to say his final line in Endgame.
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00:00Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man went through a profound journey in Avengers Endgame and
00:04delivered an unforgettable line that was a touching callback to the very beginning of
00:08the Marvel movie franchise.
00:09As it turns out, the iconic moment almost never happened, because Downey Jr. reportedly
00:14didn't want to say Tony Stark's last major line.
00:17Even though co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo lifted the ban on spoilers for Avengers Endgame,
00:21we're offering you one last warning.
00:23Major spoilers ahead.
00:25And now for the juicy details.
00:27During a recent appearance on CinemaBlend's Real Blend podcast, the Russo brothers opened
00:31up about Tony's final scene in Avengers Endgame.
00:33As you might recall, the hero equipped his own suit with the Infinity Stones, snapped
00:37his fingers, and promptly turned Thanos and his minions into space dust.
00:41Right before Tony mirrored Thanos' decimation from Infinity War, the Mad Titan was clearly
00:45convinced that he had the upper hand, proudly proclaiming,
00:48"...I am inevitable."
00:49But in a move displaying all the dry, cool wit that makes Tony who he is, he flashed
00:53his hand to show Thanos he had the Infinity Stones, and then he said it.
00:57"...I am Iron Man."
00:58Of course, the line is a callback to the end of 2008's Iron Man.
01:02"...I am Iron Man."
01:07Sadly, the snap takes a toll on Tony's body, and he dies shortly after that.
01:11He manages to speak a few more words before passing away, and then we get to hear him
01:14one more time in a heartwarming message that he recorded prior to his death.
01:18But Tony's last big line is his proud assertion of his heroism.
01:22As Joe and Anthony Russo tell it, Tony originally didn't say those words at all.
01:26In fact, he originally didn't say anything in that moment.
01:30An early cut of the film simply had Tony snap his fingers, and that was that.
01:33Enter Avengers Endgame editor Jeff Ford, who pitched the idea of having Tony say,
01:37"...I am Iron Man."
01:38Once they heard the concept, the Russo brothers knew they had to reshoot the scene with that
01:42line included.
01:43But apparently, Downey Jr. was initially uneasy with the idea.
01:46It took some convincing before he finally agreed to do a reshoot.
01:49As Joe Russo revealed,
01:51"...I had dinner with him, uh, like two weeks before we were supposed to shoot it.
01:57And he was like, I don't know, I don't want to go back and get in that emotional state."
02:01Joe Russo goes on to explain that producer Joel Silver is a close personal pal of Downey
02:05Jr.'s, and he just so happened to be eating with them.
02:08According to Joe, Silver enthusiastically blurted out,
02:11"...Robert, what are you talking about, that's like the greatest line I've ever heard!
02:14You gotta say this line, you have to do this!"
02:17Once Downey Jr. was on board, the crew reportedly headed back to the studio to reshoot the scene.
02:22As we've said before, the newly added line served as a touching nod to the very beginning
02:26of the MCU.
02:27But the whole reshooting process turned out to be a callback to Downey Jr.'s humble beginnings
02:31as Iron Man.
02:32As Anthony Russo explains,
02:33"...the stage that we shot that shot on was adjacent to the stage where Robert Downey
02:39Jr. screen-tested for Iron Man."
02:43Well, if that doesn't give you chills, we don't know what will.
02:46Downey Jr. might have been wary about stepping back into character for the powerful scene,
02:49but we're so glad he ultimately came around.
02:52The final line he shot is easily one of the most memorable moments in the entire film,
02:56and as many fans can attest, Avengers Endgame just wouldn't have been the same without Tony
03:00Stark going out with a bang, and a biting remark.
03:03That's sort of his calling card, you know?