The MCU has always been keen to reward those fans that’ve been with the franchise for the long haul with references to past movies, but Avengers: Endgame was easily the most nostalgic Marvel release to date, with the plot literally featuring the heroes revisiting some of the defining tentpoles of the shared universe.
The events of 2008’s Iron Man weren’t revisited, but Endgame did bring things full circle in many ways by giving us a sprinkling of callbacks to the movie that kicked off the MCU in the first place. Obviously, the one that’s grabbed the most attention is Tony Stark’s last line before he snaps Thanos out of existence. “I am Iron Man” is, of course, a nod to the final words of Robert Downey Jr.’s franchise debut.
Following Tony’s death from the snap, however, there are three more significant references to Iron Man that you might’ve missed through all the tears. First of all, his original arc reactor is floated on the lake by the Starks’ home at his memorial. “Proof that Tony Stark has a heart” the inscription on it reads, after Pepper gifted it back to him in the 2008 film.
After the funeral, Tony’s young daughter Morgan is sitting on a bench with Happy Hogan and tells him that she wants a cheeseburger. Happy gets emotional and recalls that her dad liked cheeseburgers, too. In fact, when he returned home from Afghanistan, the first thing Tony eats when he’s off the plane is a cheeseburger.
Finally, Endgame‘s post-credits stinger baffled folks expecting a proper scene, but the Russos have since explained that the sound heard is the same one used when Tony creates his initial Iron Man suit while he’s stuck in that cave in the first film. It serves as a reminder that the hero has come a long way since then and really, was the perfect way to close out Avengers: Endgame.
