Why Endgame Accomplished Iron Man Perfectly (Character Analysis)

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT! If you still have not seen Avengers: Endgame, but plan to, I strongly suggest leaving this post.

Hello! I am finally posting about Avengers: Endgame. Today’s subject is Iron Man. We will be taking a large look at his character arc throughout the MCU and how his departure in Endgame led to the completion of his character.

I am glad Iron Man died.

Wow, that was blunt and to the point. Before you call me an insensitive twit, please read the following.

Endgame was pretty neat. It did have its issues and problems, but there were quite a few things it did well, and one of them was Iron Man. Truly, after Endgame, Iron Man was solidified forever as one of my favorite superheroes.

Robert Downey Jr. ignited the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe in its first movie: Iron Man. He starred as the superhero billionaire Anthony Stark. Tony was cocky, only interested in what he wanted, and could even be a top-level jerk, but when he first received his arc reactor planted in his chest, something began to change.

He became Iron Man. From his first movie, Tony’s character arc was destined to be a positive one when the seed was planted in his mind that maybe he was not the only person that had problems.

It was discovered that Tony Stark did, in fact, have a heart. He was always a bit of a hotshot, but with each movie, he showed more concern towards others. He struggled with anxiety and never having felt loved himself.

Iron Man, while lifting himself up and outwardly being arrogant, did not truly love himself, and began to dislike himself more and more. He often fell into wasting his life because he simply did not care about it. He wanted to do more for the world, but he was scared he would not be able to. He showed time and time again that he was willing to die for the sake of humanity.

Then Endgame delivered the conclusion to his arc. I believe Tony slowly regained some confidence in himself, especially after the birth of his adorable daughter, Morgan. Their line, “I love you 3000,” will go down in history, by the way.

He ultimately realized a bit more that there were people who needed him (like Morgan, his wife Pepper, his son figure: Peter Parker, and the Avengers) and he had to be there for them. He would not sit on the sidelines. He could not.

Not only that but after visiting his father in the past, he realized for the first time ever that his father really did care about him. Howard was just not great at showing it, just like Tony had been to others. Iron Man finally understood he was loved, and that brought his character a little more peace, and helped him love in return.

He still continually felt like he needed to prove himself, but, as Pepper said, he would never be able to stop. Tony did not need to prove himself anymore. He made a dramatic self-sacrifice for the world. He could rest now.

It makes me think of God. We don’t need to prove ourselves over and over again. We need to forgive ourselves and cast our burdens on Him because He forgives us. Tony tried to carry all the weight of his own problems and the problems of others on his shoulders, and he was never fully happy.

Endgame, being a secular movie without heavenly redemption, made Tony die so that there would finally be some relief from his circular decisions. He died with about as much peace as he was going to get in a worldly movie, but the Bible does say:

John 15:13 English Standard Version (ESV)

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Tony sacrificed his life for the universe. That shows just how drastically he changed.

Iron Man went from flippant and egotistical, to considering others somewhat but hating himself, to ultimately loving other people and respecting himself more.

“True humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” -C.S. Lewis

Avengers: Endgame executed Tony’s arc pretty darn well.

Do not get me wrong, it hurts to go back to previous movies and hear Iron Man’s voice, and I was weeping in the theater at his death. I and practically everyone cried because we loved Iron Man as a character. We saw him go through hard things and get beaten down. He was also extremely funny, intelligent, and cool. But his death was inevitable. His sacrifice brought final completion to his character, so for me… it’s a snap (Hehe):

I am glad Iron Man died.

What do think of Iron Man’s character arc? How did you enjoy Avengers: Endgame? Which character was your favorite? Tell me in the comments, and hit that like button if you enjoyed the post! Bye, for now, everyone!

P.S.>>> Who is not quite ready yet to see Spider-Man suffering because of Tony’s death in the upcoming movie: Spider-Man Far From Home? I am not fully prepared right now.