Thomas Roach on whether Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark could be killed off in Avengers: Age of Ultron…
This may be a controversial issue for many as the character of Tony Stark is without a doubt the fan favourite of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There has been talk of the character of Tony Stark being retired or killed off, a different character wearing the Iron Man suit, and even the idea of recasting the role after Robert Downey Jr. decides he doesn’t want to do it anymore. There is a lot of potential for where the character could go, and also a huge opportunity to kill the character off.
Robert Downey Jr. has signed up for another Avengers after Avengers: Age of Ultron and has also hinted at a possible Iron Man 4, so the idea of killing him off may seem bizarre. However, Iron Man 4 was only hinted at and there is no confirmation whatsoever. And the fact that he has signed up to do The Avengers 3 does not mean he has to do it. He could even appear in flashbacks rather than his character actually being alive.
So why might he be killed off? At Comic-Con, it was shown that Tony Stark creates Ultron, so in order to redeem himself for creating this villain, Stark may in fact sacrifice himself for the other Avengers. It would be an honourable death for the character and if this was the case, the audience may feel that this is a fitting send off. Joss Whedon has been known to kill off popular characters from his other films and TV shows, so don’t assume that Stark is safe.
With the introduction of The Vision, there could be some time travel involved in future films to some extent. Maybe Tony Stark does in fact die in Age of Ultron, but is saved by time travel to return in Avengers 3. This is unlikely to happen though, as it would be too similar to what Fox has done with X-Men: Days of Future Past. In all honesty, it’s probably unlikely that the character will be killed off and stay dead, but if Marvel wants to throw us off and surprise us, his death in Age of Ultron could be really shocking and a breath of fresh air from the conventional Hollywood movie story. The fact that Tony Stark shows his regret and guilt at Ultron’s creation in the Comic-Con footage means that he will have to redeem himself. His death to save the world would be a fitting way to do this.
Do you think that Tony Stark could be killed off in Avengers: Age of Ultron? Let us know your thoughts…
Thomas Roach
Originally published July 30, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
