The first Avengers: Endgame trailer gave the fans a lot to process, but perhaps the biggest question raised by the footage is how exactly Tony Stark is going to be saved from his lonely drift through space. The internet has suggested plenty of ways in which Iron Man’s salvation might come, but few have been more practical in their assessment of the situation than the team at NASA, and for their guidance, Robert Downey Jr. is most grateful.
Earlier this month, NASA’s Twitter account offered a response to the recent teaser for the Avengers: Infinity War sequel, advising Marvel Studios on the ways they could locate their lost hero:
“Hey @Marvel, we heard about Tony Stark. As we know, the first thing you should do is listen in mission control for ‘@Avengers, we have a problem.’ But if he can’t communicate, then we recommend ground teams use all resources to scan the skies for your missing man”
The Marvel Twitter account replied at the time, tweeting that they appreciate any help that NASA can provide, and now Downey Jr. himself has shared the message while adding his own words of gratitude:
“Always good to know @NASA has your back.”
The government agency soon replied, “Failure is not an option,” which may be true for Endgame if the stakes are as high as we’ve been led to believe. As for how Tony might actually get out of his predicament, two popular predictions are Captain Marvel – who’s apparently no stranger to space travel – and Pepper Potts – who’s confirmed to be suiting up in her Rescue persona – but it’s all very up in the air right now.
Regardless, it’s looking pretty inevitable that Iron Man will find some way out of his situation (and will apparently be seen driving a fancy new Audi on planet Earth), but whether or not he lives to see the end of the film is another matter entirely. We’ll find out though when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26th, 2019.