A year and a quarter on from the release of Avengers: Endgame, and the death of Tony Stark is still a sore subject for Marvel fans. Obviously, all of us were heartbroken to see him sacrifice his own life to stop Thanos, but while some believe that it was the right way to end his character arc, others think that it should’ve been Steve Rogers, traditionally the more self-sacrificial of the pair, who used the Infinity Stones instead.
Those who wished it had gone down this way will be interested in checking out this awesome fan art, which depicts an alternate version of Endgame‘s climax. In place of Tony dying with his loved ones surrounding him, this piece from artist Camille Vialet, shared on Instagram, sees Iron Man kneeling by Steve as he succumbs to his injuries on the battlefield. Whatever side of the argument you’re on, it’s a moving image for sure.
Co-writer Christopher Markus has previously defended killing Tony off, explaining that himself and writing partner Stephen McFeely believed Iron Man and Cap were on “crossing arcs.” He explained last November: ” We realized at one point… that for Steve to be his best self, he was going to have to get a life, and for Tony to be his best self, he might have to lose his.”
As Markus’ comments remind us, following Tony’s death, Steve went on to do something for himself. He left behind the superhero world and returned to the past to be with Peggy Carter, living a long and normal life until he handed his shield to Falcon as an old man in 2023. Similar in concept to this one, another piece of fan art has imagined a different final scene to the movie, with Tony attending Steve’s funeral.
The debate about whether Avengers: Endgame got its conclusion the wrong way or not will likely rage on within the fandom, but let us know your thoughts on the ending in the usual place down below.