Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man Nearly Died in a Completely Different MCU Movie, Russo Brothers Reveal
During a recent conversation with CBR, director Joe Russo revealed that Marvel Studios once seriously considered killing off Iron Man in an earlier film instead of waiting for his final sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame.
The discussion came as the Russo brothers, Joe and Anthony, were revisiting their work on the MCU ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. Robert Downey Jr., who originally played Tony Stark/Iron Man, also joined the interview, which led to new details about how some of Marvel’s biggest story decisions were developed.
Joe Russo explained that during the writing process for Avengers: Infinity War, there was a point where the team considered having Thanos kill Iron Man in that film instead of allowing Tony Stark to survive into the final chapter. He described how the creative team constantly tested different ideas while building the massive crossover story.
He said, “We try to investigate all angles, right? Everything’s up for grabs. We always say, ‘Best idea wins.’ And a lot of the times you gotta stretch…”
Robert Downey Jr. joked during the conversation, “It’s mine.” Russo responded while laughing about the creative process, noting how ideas often shift as the story evolves.
Joe Russo continued, “There was a moment where we thought, ‘They’re not expecting it. This could be the best place to possibly do it.’ But then we’d have to figure out how he could potentially still participate in the next movie. And then we went, ‘Fuck it, let’s just do it in the next movie.’”
In the end, Marvel chose to save Tony Stark’s death for Avengers: Endgame, where he delivered one of the MCU’s most emotional moments by using the Infinity Stones to defeat Thanos and sacrificing himself in the process.
According to CBR, the Russos said the idea of killing Iron Man earlier was seriously explored, but it was ultimately moved because it worked better as the conclusion of Tony’s story arc across multiple films rather than as a single shocking twist.
The interview also connected to Marvel’s next major project, Avengers: Doomsday, which is expected to bring Robert Downey Jr. back to the franchise in a new role as Victor Von Doom. The film will be directed by the Russo brothers and is currently one of the most anticipated upcoming entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel Studios has been revisiting major creative decisions from earlier films as part of the lead-up to the new Avengers chapter. The conversation highlights how even the biggest moments in the MCU were shaped through shifting ideas and last-minute changes during development.
The discussion offered a rare look into how flexible the storytelling process was behind the scenes, even for a character as central as Iron Man, who helped launch the entire franchise in 2008.
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