Infinity War Teased Iron Man’s Death Well Before The Snap

Iron Man’s death was teased back in Avengers: Infinity War long before Thanos’ first snap. Ever since his epiphany following his abduction in Afghanistan, Tony Stark had devoted much of his life for the greater good of the Earth. Granted that he had some miscalculated steps along the way including the creation of Ultron, he was always motivated with the right intentions. His commitment to the cause was what ultimately prompted him to sacrifice his own life to ensure that the prime MCU timeline is free of the Mad Titan’s threat.

Starting off as a self-centered war profiteer, Tony started drastically changing his life after his near-death experience at the hands of the Obadiah Stane-backed Ten Rings where he was saved by Ho Yinsen. His transformation wasn’t quick, however; it was a gradual change spread throughout the film series, arguably growing more as a person in ensemble Marvel movies than his own sub-franchise. Towards the end of his MCU arc, however, he checked out of his superhero gig following Thanos’ win but was forced to suit back up in Avengers: Endgame after the Avengers realized that they had a shot at bringing back those who were disintegrated by the Mad Titan’s snap in Infinity War.

By the time Tony reclaimed his Iron Man persona, he was already a husband to Pepper Potts and father to Morgan. This makes his death at the end of Endgame so much more devastating as he finally found peace in his personal life — something that was elusive to him in his younger years. That said, Marvel Studios actually foreshadowed Tony’s sacrificial death even before Thanos won in  Infinity War. After he discovered that Spider-Man didn’t go back home just as he instructed him to do as an attempt to save Doctor Strange from Ebony Maw, the genius, billionaire reprimanded the young hero saying: “This isn’t a field trip. It’s a one-way ticket. Do you hear me? Don’t pretend like you thought this through. You could not have possibly thought this through.” This proves that Tony knew his odds of surviving the trip were bad and he didn’t want Peter Parker to be roped in on the dangerous mission. His prediction was almost correct, however; had it not been for Doctor Strange’s interference, he would’ve died in Titan at the hands of Thanos.

Granted that at the start of Endgame, Tony admitted to his message to Pepper that he was hoping that he could come out of the mission to Titan alive, but that’s only understandable considering that anyone who’s in a similar position would hope for the best despite the reality of the circumstances. The important thing is, they’re brave enough to take the risk for their cause. After his kidnapping incident, Iron Man had actually proven time and again that he was willing to die for the greater good — be it during the Battle of New York where he hauled the nuclear bomb into space where, incidentally, Captain America also warned him about it being a one-way trip, or his decision to seek Thanos in Titan in Infinity War. It just so happened that he met his end doing the snap in Endgame, bringing the ideal sense of closure – but none of these other occasions had his fate seem entirely safe.

As bittersweet as it was bidding MCU’s inaugural hero goodbye in Endgame, Marvel Studios did a great job not only wrapping up his story but also setting up his swan song in Avengers: Infinity War. Iron Man’s death was a poetic end to his 11-year arc in the franchise, with the Infinity Saga primarily defined by his own story more than anything else.

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