Though the last thing Tony Stark might have said when he was alive in Avengers: Endgame was “I am Iron Man,” we, along with those closest to him, got to say goodbye with a more heartfelt message – a message he recorded before the team did their time jump.
Delivered via a full-body, three-dimensional hologram (in perfect Stark fashion), the speech was actually pretty long, and now you can read it below:
“Everybody wants a happy ending. Right? But it doesn’t always roll that way. Maybe this time.
I’m hoping if you play this back, it’s in celebration. I hope families are reunited, I hope we get it back and something like a normal version of the planet has been restored. If there ever was such a thing. God, what a world. Universe, now. If you told me ten years ago that we weren’t alone, let alone, you know, to this extent, I mean, I wouldn’t have been surprised, but come on, the epic forces of dark and light that have come in to play. And for better or worse, that’s the reality Morgan’s gonna have to find a way to grow up in.
So I thought I better record a little greeting, in the case of an untimely death, on my part. I mean, not that death at any time isn’t untimely. This time travel thing we’re gonna try and pull off tomorrow, it’s got me scratching my head about the survivability of it all. Then again, that’s the hero gig.
Part of the journey is the end.
What am I even tripping for? Everything’s gonna work out exactly the way it’s supposed to.
I love you 3000.”
The speech, complete with a tear-jerker farewell to his daughter, is the perfect culmination of Tony’s arc in the MCU. Having started out as little other than a selfish tycoon, his personality quickly embodied a more intimate protector role. And his five years outside of the Avengers, where he was able to raise a family, looked to be the most profitable of his whole life.
Right now, we don’t know what the future of Iron Man will be in the MCU. Obviously Tony Stark won’t be a part of it, at least not in a literal sense. But given his suit’s technical enhancements, it’s possible that Spider-Man will take on the role for the franchise.
If we look towards the comics for answers, there’s Ironheart/Riri Williams who could be introduced by War Machine. And then there’s also Tony’s daughter, Morgan Stark, though that may be too predictable.
While we brought you the full speech here, you’ll probably be able to experience it for yourself in theaters for a long time to come – especially given the fact that Avengers: Endgame is coming close to taking down Avatar as the highest grossing film in history. But then again, it looks like it’s been losing steam as of late, so who knows what’s going to happen?