‘Avengers: Endgame’ Director Has a Controversial Reason For Killing This Character

One of the most shocking moments of Avengers: Endgame may have been planned for years. Endgame co-director Joe Russo has recently revealed his motivations for why the fate of Tony Stark turned out the way it did in the biggest Marvel movie ever.

Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame ahead. If you somehow haven’t seen it by now, stop reading!

On Monday, news broke on Twitter that while appearing on the Tonight Show, Joe Russo apparently said:

“When I heard Tony Stark say ‘billionaire, playboy, philanthropist’ in the first Avengers, I decided right then he would be the causality of Endgame. I know he is loved by many. But he is not loved by me. He needs to go.”

As of this writing, the footage from the Tonight Show in which Russo apparently said this has not been aired, so it’s tough to know what the context was for the comment. He could have been kidding, but maybe not. In any case, a certain corner of Twitter are not taking the comment well. At all.

The biggest complaint seems to be that fans feel like the death of Iron Man in Endgame has now been cheapened because one of the directors simply didn’t like the character. It seems obvious that Russo was perhaps speaking directly to the idea that Tony’s “type” (I.E. an entitled male) was the thing that needed to go, and not necessarily Tony himself. In fact, in some ways, it feels very likely that as written, a movie like Iron Man 2 would never be made today, mostly because of the overt sexism on the part of Tony Stark.

Meanwhile, in another interview with Entertainment Weekly, Joe Russo explained why there was no funeral for Black Widow in Endgame. “Well, Natasha has another movie coming out. Tony does not have another movie coming out.” This refers to the ideat that Black Widow’s story will continue in forthcoming Marvel movie, while Tony Stark’s won’t.

If you’re ready to experience the heartbreak all over again, Avengers: Endgame is out on digital download on July 30.