Avengers: Endgame will serve as the end of an era for the Marvel franchise, and naturally, this means the departure of a few MCU regulars. But while the fans have spent the last year speculating on the possibility of Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and their superhero peers dropping out of the saga, it seems that Gwyneth Paltrow has taken it upon herself to dispel all doubt that her run as Pepper Potts ends here, telling Variety that the Avengers: Infinity War sequel will serves as her last major outing in the series.
Speaking to the publication, the star of 2008’s Iron Man explained that she feels the time is right to put Pepper into retirement.
“I mean, I’m a bit old to be in a suit and all that at this point,” Paltrow said. “I feel very lucky that I did it, because I actually got talked into it. I was friend with [‘Iron Man’ director] Jon Favreau. It was such a wonderful experience making the first ‘Iron Man’ and then to watch how important it has become to fans.”
As one of the original stars of the MCU, Paltrow’s already had an impressive run in the series, and if Endgame is truly to be her last hurrah, then it sounds like she’ll be going out with a bang in her new Rescue persona. As for whether Pepper could still make the odd cameo in future releases, Paltrow certainly seems open to the idea.
“I feel honored to be a part of something that people are so passionate about,” Paltrow explained. “Of course, if they said, ‘Can you come back for a day?,’ I will always be there if they need me.”
With Pepper confirmed to be more or less out of the game, fans will no doubt have their theories on how her arc might end, whether it’s a heroic death or a quiet retirement with or without her partner Tony Stark. Aside from her new Rescue suit, however, one thing we do know about Pepper’s story in the upcoming film is that she and Tony will have a child, with Paltrow mentioning this development in an interview last year.
It sounds like the Potts legacy could still live on in an MCU newcomer, but regardless, here’s hoping Avengers: Endgame can give Pepper a worthy sendoff when the film hits theaters on April 26th, 2019.
