Jon Favreau Had A Major Note About The End Of Avengers: Endgame
"Avengers: Endgame" may have been a Russo brothers film, but it had Jon Favreau's influence all over it.
According to a new interview with the directors, Favreau had a major concern about the movie's final moments, which he noted in a phone conversation with them after reading the script. "I dunno if we've told this story in its entirety," said Joe Russo in an episode of the "Notes on a Scene" YouTube series for Vanity Fair. The brothers had been struggling to come up with a fitting ending for their heroes, specifically Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely were tasked with helping them find a line that would perfectly encapsulate Stark's story after they decided that they'd be killing the self-described "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" off.
"It's probably the most pressure we've ever had," explained Joe Russo, noting that it was crucial to get Tony Stark's last line right. According to Anthony Russo, a lot of the pressure came from Favreau and the major note he had with the "Avengers: Endgame" finale.
Favreau worried that the fallout from Tony Stark's death would be devastating
According to the Russo Brothers, Jon Favreau was completely taken back by Tony Stark's fate in "Avengers: Endgame," as he was worried that audiences would be unable to handle the loss of such a central figure in the MCU.
"[Favreau] called us up after he read the script and said to us, 'Are you guys really going to kill Iron Man?'" recalled Anthony Russo to Vanity Fair. "He did," said Joe. Anthony continued, "And I remember pacing on the corner of a stage on the phone with Favreau trying to talk him off a ledge. 'Cause he's like, 'You can't do this. It's gonna devastate people, and you don't want them walking out of the theater and into traffic.'"
With several successes already under their belt — including "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," "Captain America: Civil War," and "Avengers: Infinity War" — the Russos ultimately felt it was their rightful decision to determine whether Stark lived or died. However, it's understandable that Favreau would be extra protective over the character, especially considering that he directed 2008's "Iron Man," which helped launch the entire MCU.
"We felt like we had earned the arc that, you know, would feel redemptive and emotional and uplifting and hopeful, even though he had sacrificed his life," Joe said. "So he actually asked to improvise a few lines here. We tried some alternate versions of it, and they were sort of more in this snarky, Tony Stark vein. He wasn't playing it with enough pain of the power of the stone surging through his body."
While the death of Iron Man was a pivotal moment in the MCU, the recently announced "Avengers: Secret Wars" movie is expected to explore alternate versions of Marvel superheroes. As such, it's possible that fans get to see another version of Stark in the future.