Iron Man’s self-sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and emotional poetic endings in Marvel history. While the Russo brothers’ vision eventually enriched the character’s legacy, not everybody was on board with it. Among the critics was the director of the first two Iron Man movies, Jon Favreau. But in a surprising turn of events, the actor and filmmaker not only revised his stance recently but also gave the siblings their flowers.
Jon Favreau lauded the Russo Brothers for Iron Man’s final arc
On Tuesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Jon Favreau looked back on his time with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor has played the recurring character of Happy Hogan across different franchises, including all three Iron Man films. As actor and director of the much-loved trilogy, he had a different take on the storyline of Robert Downey Jr.’s character.
Favreau never embraced the idea of Iron Man killing himself in the final battle against Thanos to save the world. In fact, he rang Anthony and Joe Russo to share his hesitation. “I was like, ‘I don’t know about…I don’t know if people are going to like [the ending], I don’t know! I think it’s going to really impact people,’ because there were kids that grew up with that character,” Favreau explained.
When Kimmel agreed that Tony’s death indeed moved many, Favreau changed its original viewpoint and ended up praising the creator duo. “But I have to tell you, it was handled so well by them,” he said. “And Gwyneth and Robert did such a wonderful job acting, and I think it added a poignancy to it…I think they did a wonderful job. I was wrong. I was wrong.”
Additionally, Favreau didn’t shy away from sharing his reaction to Tony’s ending, revealing that it broke him. The sweet confession prompted Kimmel to joke that the Russo brothers eliminated “Favreau’s baby.” Later in the conversation, the actor-director shared his excitement about Downey Jr.’s MCU return as Dr. Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.
Set to release in December 2026, the movie will star Dr. Doom as the primary antagonist responsible for the “cascading crisis” in the multiverse. Fans will definitely have a tough time accepting Downey Jr. as the franchise’s new villain when he died a hero in his last role that spanned over a decade. Do you think the actor can pull off the anti-hero narrative? Let us know in the comments.
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