How Iron Man’s Endgame Sacrifice Fixed His Past Avenger Mistakes

Iron Man’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame was the only way to keep the universe safe, but it was also a means to fix his past mistakes. Over time, Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) grew from a self-absorbed billionaire who exuded arrogance into a hero deeply committed to saving everyone. Despite not having superpowers, he had shown exceptional bravery, always being the first one to charge into the unknown and efficiently lead the team into victory. However, Iron Man’s journey towards being a full-fledged hero was not perfect, as along with it came a series of mistakes that were mended by his heroic death.

After facing aliens and gods during the Battle of New York, Tony Stark developed PTSD, affecting how he viewed and protected the world. Wanting to build a “suit of armor around the world,” he built Ultron originally as a peacekeeping program without informing anyone. However, his plan backfired when the AI became a genocidal villain. Although the Civil War was not entirely his fault, he was a significant factor in the Avengers splitting up. The guilt brought by taking innocent lives and his urge to keep the Avengers in check overrode his desire to find a middle ground and stay with his team. Moreover, true to his flawed distant nature, Iron Man failed to effectively communicate with his protégé, Peter Parker, in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and instead of mentoring the teenage hero how to be better than him, he simply ended up confiscating the latter’s suit.

Ultimately, Iron Man was the world’s most committed hero, and he took his responsibilities seriously to the point of taking risks and even compromising his morals in order to attain results. Although he committed blunders as an Avenger, his final act of sacrifice was still anchored on the fact that at the end of the day, he just wanted to save everyone. Partly, he felt that he could not rest until he was able to do his part in solving the impossible, bringing everyone back, and ensuring their happy ending. He also needed to atone for his mistakes, and sacrificing himself in Endgame was a bittersweet yet fitting end to his well-lived journey of heroism.

When Iron Man initially joined the Avengers, he had a heated discussion with the star-spangled hero, where he tagged himself as a “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” To that, Captain America pointed out that the armored hero was not the type of guy “to make the sacrifice play.” Years later, Iron Man’s act of sacrifice served as a full-circle moment, moving him from a place of self-interest into selflessness. He was no longer an individualist; he learned to become a team player, pursuing the greater good whatever it would take. While snapping Thanos and his army away did not totally repair the damage caused by Iron Man’s past Avenger mistakes, it still offered an avenue for redemption, proving who Earth’s greatest defender really was.

After all, in the years between Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, Iron Man already grabbed his second chance at life, giving him the perfect retirement situation. He and Pepper got married and were happily settled with their daughter, Morgan. That was the life he dreamed of having — one he deserved after carrying the burden of knowledge and foresight for decades. While emotional and tragic, Iron Man’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame was earned, as it cemented his status as a hero, and it also allowed him to end the chapter he started in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.