Iron Man has been one of the most popular characters on film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its beginning in 2008. Robert Downey Jr. masterfully portrayed the character, who took on a leadership position in the majority of The Avengers movie and became a father figure to many of the MCU’s protagonists. This development in his character made it all the more devastating when he perished at the end of Avengers: Endgame.
With such a large-scale action set-piece and so much fan service going on in the final scenes, Tony Stark’s death was undoubtedly the most startling event in the film. But in case you haven’t seen it for yourself, here’s what happened.
So his fans were devastated when he perished in Avengers: Endgame. If you’re still not over Iron Man’s death and want to know why your favorite superhero had to leave the franchise, you’ll discover the explanation here.
How Did Iron Man Die?
Ultimately, Iron Man sacrifices his own life to save Earth’s population and stop Thanos and his army with the Infinity Stones. In the climactic act of Avengers: Endgame, Thanos follows the Avengers back in time, where they set out to acquire the Infinity Stones and use them to undo the dead Thanos’ acts in the current timeline.
When Thanos from the past visits the current timeline, The Hulk has already used the gauntlet of Infinity Stones to restore the population that was killed at the snap, but it has caused significant harm to his body.
Thanos throws down fire on the Avengers headquarters from his mothership, kicking off the film’s final confrontation. Thanos eventually obtains the gauntlet and uses its power to repel an army of Avengers and other heroes from around the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In a last-ditch effort, Iron Man is able to remove all of the gems from Thanos’ gauntlet and place them on his own, allowing him to eliminate Thanos and his army permanently. Tony Stark does this after saying his iconic line “I am Iron Man” and successfully defeats Thanos, albeit at a cost. While the Hulk was able to survive using the Infinity Stones due to his radioactive superpowers, Tony Stark was not and became paraplegic before dying shortly after.
Iron Man understood he needed to make the ultimate sacrifice. Dr Strange, who has seen every possible ending of their conflict with Thanos, tells him that there is only one way for them to win. This on-screen death is one of the most devastating in the MCU, and it concludes the Infinity Saga and Phase Three of the MCU.
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Why Did Iron Man Die?
Hulk also used the Infinity Gauntlet and lived. However, Iron Man did not make it. Bruce Banner, aka Hulk, lived thanks to his radioactive superpowers. However, his body was gravely harmed.
Before the film finishes, Hulk is shown with a sizzled right arm. He had extensive cosmic charring in his entire right arm, up to his neck. In fact, at the end of the film, his right arm was rendered virtually unusable, which was surprising given that the character is one of the most powerful superheroes in the MCU.
Iron Man is simply a human wearing a high-tech outfit. He lacks superpowers, which is why he did not survive. When Thanos used the Infinity Gauntlet, he also injured himself. Despite being a super-powerful being, he stumbled and sustained significant damage to his gauntlet arm the second time he used it.
“We know how powerful Thanos is by his quick defeat of the Hulk in Infinity War, so this is an incredibly painful experience to put on the gauntlet that controls the universe,” Joe Russo told Comic-Con attendees. “It permanently damaged the most powerful beings and some of the most powerful creatures in these movies, and very few people can actually put that on and survive.”
