Yesterday, the news broke that Gwyneth Paltrow is exiting from the Marvel franchise, meaning that Avengers: Endgame will be the last major outing for Pepper Potts in the superhero saga. With this in mind, there seem to be only two credible routes that her character could take in the Avengers: Infinity War sequel: quiet retirement, or a heroic death. And if one subtle detail from the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer is anything to go by, then we might be able to narrow down those options even further.
The preview that dropped last month contains a scene where Happy Hogan carries a check that’s conveniently giant enough for us to see that it’s signed by one Pepper Potts. Seeing how producers Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige have both mentioned on separate occasions that the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel takes place after Endgame, this implies that Pepper has lived to see the aftermath of Marvel’s Phase 3 finale.
So, assuming that this isn’t another red herring in the vein of the fake Hulk scene in the Infinity War trailer, it seems that Pepper’s stint in the Rescue suit isn’t going to end in tragedy, though it remains to be seen whether the same can be said for Iron Man’s journey. Either way, Paltrow’s departure from the series makes it feel more likely than ever that Robert Downey Jr. is also out of the game, though feel free to hold out hope that a happy ending lies in Tony Stark’s future.
Incidentally, Paltrow has already let it slip that Pepper and Tony will have a child in their next film. Whether this kid turns out to be Iron Man’s motivation to retire or a lingering reminder of his legacy remains to be seen, but all will be revealed when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26th, 2019.
