A new piece of Avengers: Endgame fan art reimagines Iron Man’s big sacrifice in the form of a retro Marvel Comics page. Released in 2019 and serving as the epic conclusion to The Infinity Saga, Avengers: Endgame sees the titular team of superheroes banding together to defeat Josh Brolin’s Thanos after his shocking victory in Avengers: Infinity War. The film was met with rave reviews from audiences and critics alike, with particular praise levied at how the film bids farewell to both Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark and Chris Evans’ Captain America, the former of which sacrifices his life in order to destroy the Infinity Gauntlet and defeat Thanos.
Four years later, Iron Man’s death in Avengers: Endgame is still one of the MCU’s most iconic moments, and now a new piece of fan art from Ian Wilkins (@spikeytortoisecomics) on Instagram reimagines the moment entirely. The creative piece of art depicts Tony’s sacrifice in the form of a retro Marvel Comics page complete with classic-style costumes and Downey Jr.’s “And I am Iron Man” line from the film. Check out the impressive fan art below:
How Iron Man’s Legacy Lives On In The MCU
Iron Man may be gone, but his legacy continues to live on in the MCU. After essentially being the franchise’s central superhero for over a decade, Downey Jr.’s Tony now serves as the inspiration for a new generation of heroes. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is initially “discovered” by Tony and the two eventually develop a father-and-son-type bond. Spider-Man: Far From Home, especially, explores what Tony’s death means to Holland’s Peter Parker, but Iron Man’s legacy even lives on in Spider-Man: No Way Home in the form of Spider-Man’s suit technology.
More notably, perhaps, is the way Iron Man will continue to live on with the introduction of Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams, aka Ironheart. Ironheart made her MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as more of a secondary character, but she is slated to play an important role moving forward. Williams is said to be one of the smartest characters in the MCU, much like Tony was, and she will continue to be explored in more depth in the upcoming Ironheart Disney+ show. Although Black Panther: Wakanda Forever didn’t totally delve into the influences that Iron Man clearly had on Williams, the show could very well create a stronger connection between the two, even though they never officially met.
With Avengers: Secret Wars shaping up to potentially be a cameo-filled experience unlike anything seen in the MCU thus far, many fans have theorized that Downey Jr. could reprise his role as Iron Man. Although he undoubtedly remains a fan-favorite MCU character, Stark is best served at this point being an inspiration for a new generation of heroes. Avengers: Endgame may represent the end of an era for the MCU, but Iron Man’s ultimate sacrifice continues to reverberate throughout the franchise and is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
Source: Ian Wilkins (@spikeytortoisecomics)