Avengers: Endgame may be the first Marvel Studios feature not to include a post-credits scene, but the film’s final moments still leave us with one last stinger that brings the entire Infinity Saga full circle.
As the movie’s credits draw to a close, the sound is heard of something clanking against metal, and according to Joe Russo, the moment was intended as a nod to Tony Stark, telling QQ.com:
“There is indeed a sound of iron, which is to say goodbye to him in our way.”
Sure enough, fans have already identified the noise as an excerpt from 2008’s Iron Man. Specifically, it’s believed to be the sound of Tony hammering down on his first ever mask, while trapped in a cave in Afghanistan. In that sense, you could argue that it’s the sound of the first MCU hero being created.
As those who’ve seen Endgame will know, Tony also gets a much bigger sendoff within the film, as various characters from the last decade of superhero cinema gather for his funeral. The sequence even sees the surprise return of Ty Simpkins as Harley Keener, who’s looking all grown up since his last appearance in 2013’s Iron Man 3.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Endgame co-writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely reflected on the decision to kill off Iron Man. According to the two scribes, the idea of letting Tony live was never particularly considered, since the film’s early passage already give him “the perfect retirement life.”
The pair went on to argue that Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame “doesn’t feel like a tragedy. It feels like a heroic, finished life.” They may be right, but don’t be surprised if his old protégé Peter Parker isn’t in a particularly sunny mood when Spider-Man: Far From Home hits theaters on July 2nd.