Most MCU fans would agree that Iron Man’s death was probably the single biggest emotional gut-punch in the entire franchise (so far, at least), as Robert Downey Jr. ended up being the one to make the sacrifice play, laying himself down on the wire and saving the universe in the process.
Fate willed it so, and while Tony Stark delivered the perfect final line before he died (“and I… am… Iron Man”), it turns out that the moment in question was actually set up way back in the first Iron Man movie, in a scene featuring Ho Yinsen, the scientist who helped Stark build the arc reactor technology.
As a fan pointed out over on Reddit, there’s a bit of dialogue that basically set the stage for Iron Man’s last stand against the Mad Titan, and you can see it for yourself down below.
“He didn’t know it yet, but that speech would define him from beginning to end,” wrote the Reddit user.
Pretty neat, eh? Of course, the MCU is full of moments like these, and while it’s unlikely that Marvel knew how Tony’s story would end way back when they made Iron Man, it’s still an interesting find by this fan. It also makes Stark’s death all the more poignant and touching, and it’s certainly a death that will be felt for years to come.
After all, Downey Jr.’s hero was an integral part of the MCU and one of the most iconic characters in cinema. But fear not, for he’ll never be too far away, as Avengers: Endgame (and many more Marvel Cinematic Universe films) are now available to stream via Disney+, while Tony himself is rumored to be making a cameo in Black Widow and will also appear in animated form in What If…?
