Ok so the MCU is easily the most successful franchise in Hollywood.
Often immitated but never duplicated it's consistently knocked it out the park and provided
us with incredible stories and characters.
When we look at the MCU as a whole it's incredible what they've managed to achieve and whilst
most studios struggle to make a sequel that feels like it's part of a unified franchies,
Marvel have crafted over 20 films that all tie together perfectly.
Over the last decade we've had several faces introduced and the franchise has catapulted
several unknowns to become house hold names.
Now the one at the center of this is of course Tony Stark who was made an icon due to Robert
Downey Juniors performance.
Casting RDJ was a massive risk and if you grew up in the 90s you'll probably remember
that he was arrested several times and that he battled with addiciton in a very public
space.
Whilst he's often looked at negatively for this, you have to give the guy his props has
he's managed to come through the other side of it and in many ways is a shining example
of how one can overcome their own demons.
This is why the role of Tony Stark seems like it was made for him.
In the first Iron Man film we watch the self centred arms dealer happily selling whatever
he can to the army so that those in the middle east can carry out warfare.
However upon seeing the damage that his weapons do first hand he decides instead to use his
talents to make the world better and because of this he's a fascinating character to watch.
Tony in many ways represents us all and because of this many people find him easy to relate
to.
Though we're not billionairres that live lavish lifestyles, I'm sure many of you watching
this grew up putting yourself first even to the detriment of others.
However as we tend to get older and our priorities change, we also see how much of a negative
effect this can have on the world around us.
Tony realising his mistakes and crawling out of a literal and metaphorical cave turns him
into the hero Iron Man and this rebirth and resurrection is just as important as his death.
Now Tony's final Farewell in Avengers Endgame feels absolutely perfect and though the character
going out this way wasn't initially part of the plan, it's difficult to think of any way
that he could've had a better send off.
When we look at the MCU as a whole, it's very much the story of Tony trying to improve the
world around him, sacrificing himself so that others can have a better life.
The first film of course shows this through the idea of him very much giving up the wealth
and fortune that he would make from dealing weapons.
However, the playboy persona still has a foot in the game and this is brought up in Avengers
when Captain America says he wouldn't ever make a sacrifice play.
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Tony definitely shows Cap that he would and come the end of the film he flies up into
the sky with a nuke, potentially to his death.
Though Tony manages to come back he shows that he would lay his life down if it came
to it and for the next ten years or so he's happy to throw himself into battle.
However come the Snap things change.
Though Tony survives the battle with Thanos he ends up adrift in space for several weeks
until he's rescued by Captain Marvel.
Believing that he's going to die out there all that he leaves behind is a recording for
Pepper Potts to tell her that he loves her.
However he's saved and I think that this journey very much changes him.
The snap pretty much took something away from everyone except for Tony.
Whilst most people lost the ones that they loved, Pepper survived and because of this
the pair got to have a daughter together.
I think that watching those around him die and knowing that she could've gone the same
way makes him realise what he almost lost and thus he holds onto her even tighter.
Tony quits being Iron Man and we know that he steps away from the persona for five years.
This is something that he'd toyed with in the past and come the end of Iron Man 3, Tony
threw his arc reactor into the ocean to show that he was done with the role.
This was to be with Pepper but come Civil War we discovered that he couldn't quit.
Tony had this compulsion to go out there but after the snap, he realised that she was more
important to him than being a hero.
He ended up retreating to a country home and here he raised a family.
Tony had once more become the selfish and self centred person who even refused to help
Steve and co when they said there was a way to fix everything.
Tony just wanted to be left alone but he knew that deep down he wouldn't be able to rest
if it meant that others wouldn't get to have the love that he'd found with his family.
With Pepper's blessing Tony returned to the Avengers compound, buried the Hatchet with
Cap and he helped to launch a time heist to get the Infinity Stones.
Though Black Widow died and Nebula was captured the mission itself was somewhat a success.
The Avengers managed to bring everyone back but through the Quantum Tunnel came an even
more ruthless version of Thanos.
With the knowledge of what happens in the aftermath of the snap he decided to change
the plan and wipe out all life instead of just 50% of it.
The final act of Avengers Endgame is an incredible one and the two sides throw themselves at
each other until there's just two people left standing.
This is Thanos and Tony.
Thanos very much feels like he's completely unbeatable and Infinity War set him up as
an inevitable force that would power through everything thrown at him because of his will
to complete the snap.
Guy just had no chill and after he beats everyone he manages to get the stones and gauntlet
so he can once more carry it out.
Now this is where Tony steps in.
Throughout both Infinity War and Endgame I very much feel like he knew he would be the
one to stop Thanos and that he'd likely die doing this.
In Infinity War Doctor Strange saw into over 14 million timelines and he stated that there
was only one in which they won.
The wizard even sacrificed himself and the timestone to save Tony's life and deep down
I think Tony knew he'd only do this if it was necessary.
Come the final battle Tony asks Strange to tell him if they're in the timeline where
they win but Strange very much withholds this information incase it doesn't happen.
Tony is a smart guy and to me he clearly knows that he's gonna be the person who has to go
out and make the sacrifice play, no matter how painful it is.
As Thanos collects the Stones, Tony looks over to Strange who holds up one finger to
symbolise this being the one timeline.
Tony has one choice and he throws himself forward and takes the stones from Thanos.
At this point Thanos boasts and gets one of the biggest FUs when he realises that he doesn't
have the stones.
It's a moment that still makes me fist punch the air as watching his hubris lead to his
failure never gets old.
Cut to Tony who has the Stones and in response to Thanos saying I am Inevitable, Tony says
I am Iron Man.
Now this is an incredible moment that pays off all the more because it's been something
that Tony has uttered at several key points.
He of course said it at the end of Iron Man, his first film and at the end of Iron Man
3 which concluded his trilogy.
Tony's arm has also taken a lot of focus throughout the MCU and thus having him holding it up
in frame to carry out the snap means a lot more.
The first time that we see Tony in the MCU we open on his hand holding a glass of scotch
in the back of the Funvee.
This very much represents the self centred, hedonistic attitude he has and how he doesn't
really take things seriously.
Juxtaposing this, Tony holding his hand up at the end to carry out the snap shows how
he's gone from being selfish to being selfless.
It perfectly capitalises on his arc throughout the MCU and it's the perfect way to say goodbye
to the character.
Here he embodies what it means to be a hero and how the real ones will sacrifice themselves
in order to make the future better for others.
He saves not only his daughter and wife but also those who lost the ones that they loved
and though the character dies, it's difficult to think if there is any other way that he
could have gone out.
In a time where things fail to stick the landing more times than not it's actually nice to
see the character get the send off that they deserved.
Tony Stark very much started this universe and to see him being the one that saves it
shows how important that he is to everything.
Robert Downey Jr goes out in a triumphant moment with the character that gave him a
second chance and I absolutely love this scene for all that it stands for.
Tony very much represents that even with our less admirable traits that we can still do
good when it comes down to it and because of there all lies within us the ability to
be heroic.
We just need to make the choice to put others before ourselves and Tony is very much an
inspiration for the audience to keep this in mind when making difficult choices.
It's an incredible send off to the character and I think it's definitely the perfect way
for us to say goodbye to him.
It makes Avengers Endgame one of the best comic book movies of all time and I'd of course
love to hear your thoughts on the scene in the comments below.
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If you want something else to watch then make sure you check out our breakdown of perfect
scene in Spider-Man Homecoming.
We break down the entire thing so it's definitely worth checking out if you wanna know more.
With that out the way thank you for sitting through the video, I’ve been Paul and I’ll
see you next time.
Take care, Peace