Today (October 17, 2023) is officially the day that Tony Stark dies. Based on the official Marvel timeline, which runs a few years ahead of our own, we’ve now reached the date of the battle against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame.
After the Avengers traversed time and space to locate all of the Infinity Stones, they ended up in a final face-off against an earlier version of Thanos. After a fight for the gauntlet, Stark attached the stones to his armor, before snapping his fingers, disintegrating Thanos and his army, and effectively saving the universe.
The action took a huge toll on his body due to the gamma radiation and the power of the stones, zapping him of his remaining life force. Stark died on the battlefield surrounded by Peter Parker, Rhodey, and Pepper Potts in the most heartbreaking moment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date.
It may have been years since we’ve watched it on the big screen, but the hugely emotional moment remains one of the best on-screen farewells to an MCU hero. A lot of this was down to how well Stark’s arc was navigated from his first appearance back in 2008’s Iron Man, right through to that final moment.
He started off as a billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, who turned into an ordinary man who goes to extraordinary measures to save his family. Stark’s ultimate sacrifice saved billions of people across the galaxy at great personal cost – all because it was the right thing to do. And along the way, he was charming, funny, and charismatic on screen.
Downey Jr.’s performance was a huge guiding factor in this. While he was initially considered a controversial casting choice, over the years, he completely inhabited this role, setting the bar for superhero movies to contain nuanced, powerful performances alongside all the CGI mayhem. It was a complete turnaround for his career too, and one that set up future performances like his Oscar-buzz-worthy turn in Oppenheimer.
When we speak about deaths in the MCU, the inevitable question arises: is this really the end? Of course, too, looking ahead to the Avengers movies on the horizon, there is definitely an argument to be made that he could make a return. But if the last time we’ll ever see Downey Jr.’s Iron Man is on October 17, 2023, I feel safe in the knowledge that one of the best heroes that the MCU will ever have got a fitting farewell. Love you 3000, Stark.
For more on the MCU, check out our breakdown of how to watch the Marvel movies in order and all of the upcoming superhero movies on the way from Marvel Studios.
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