While we still have a lot to learn regarding next year’s Avengers 4, one thing that half the internet seems pretty confident about already is that Tony Stark will be meeting his demise in the Avengers: Infinity War sequel, with even Iron Man comic book writer Bob Layton recently predicting that Marvel may take this tragic route.
But when a theory is this prevalent amongst the fandom, you have to wonder if the studio has another trick up its sleeve. With this in mind, a post on Reddit is not only predicting that Stark won’t die in the upcoming film, but also argues that it would make for a more appropriate conclusion to the character’s arc if the man beneath the armor lived to see another day.
It’s often part of the Stark death prediction that his end will come in the form of a knowing sacrifice to save the world or his peers. Sure enough, user StrikeFirst observes how Iron Man has already tried such a heroic move in The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron.
“In A1 he was willing to go to space to get rid of the Nuke even though Jarvis told him that’s a one way road. (he didn’t know he was going to make it back through the portal) Following this he starts having anxiety about protecting earth from space which leads to the creation of Ultron. In A2 he doesn’t go to the same lengths as A1 but he definitely put his life in serious jeopardy when he had to power the machine Ultron built while Thor blasts it with Mjölnir.”
Since Stark’s trip through the wormhole, death has been on his mind and in his dreams, as evidenced by the trauma we observe in Iron Man 3 and Age of Ultron. Yet StrikeFirst makes the case that the character’s arc should be a journey out of the darkness, and not a descent into it.
“Everything that has happened to Tony after A1 has been based around the idea of him knowing something big was coming to earth and him having anxiety about it. If he were to die or sacrifice himself again I don’t think it’s a good character ending for him since he has been battling Thanos in his head for 6 years (He mentions this on Maw’s ship). Having him win (not die) and finally overcome what he has been battling with since A1 and then retire would and should be the proper ending to the character. All he ever wanted was to end the fight so he can go home.”
Indeed, that last sentence is a direct reference to a line Stark delivers in Age of Ultron: “Isn’t that the WHY we fight? So we can end the fight and go home?” Overall, StrikeFirst makes a pretty convincing case, and Tony’s survival could serve as a fitting conclusion, if done right. Then again, you could probably say the exact same thing about Marvel taking the route of killing off the character.
Ultimately, it all rests with the team behind Avengers 4 to decide which type of send-off they think they can spin a more satisfying story out of. And we’ll find out what fate’s been chosen for Iron Man when the film hits theaters on May 3rd, 2019.
