By Aaron Schweitzer
They say hindsight is 20/20. The MCU has 22 films total and the last 2 chronologically combine to one that 20 films have set up. So let’s take a look back at those 20. The goal of this series is to rewatch the MCU with Infinity War and Endgamein mind and see a few things. The first is to see ways in which they refer back to other movies indirectly or indirectly. The second is to see how these movies prepare for the Infinity Saga in terms of story, character, and development. This article isn’t focused on references to how it sets up other MCU movies other than Infinity War and Endgame and also some of these might seem like a bit of a stretch, but that’s the fun in it. Obviously not all of these were intentional, but the MCU has done a fantastic job with little references everywhere and I want to find them with the Endgame in mind. Of course, SPOILERS.
Re-watching Iron Man 2
(7:25) Tony: “I’m not saying that the world is enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me.”
Honestly, I was expecting more parallels from this movie, but there were still plenty to enjoy, such as this one. Given that Spider-Man: Far From Home takes place minutes after Endgame, I doubt we’ll actually see this peace continued, but you could end the MCU with this movie (and likely Guardians 3 to finish out that story) and totally be satisfied with it because at the end, you get this hope that maybe all of our heroes can just rest for a bit. It’s the only movie where the end is truly the end, not just the defeat of a villain and a 5 minute coda, but you get to spend some time with these characters when they finally don’t have a task to save the world.
(7:40) Tony: “Never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history.”
That is until literally half of all life comes back with Hulk’s snap. The phoenix metaphor that Tony is using here is from rising from the ashes and while Tony’s arc is incredibly redemptive, how much greater of a scale is it when all of our dusted heroes come back from their ash-like state? This is a perfect demonstration of two things: the first is Tony’s turn from selfishness to selflessness over these 22 movies; and the other is that the MCU continues to expand and deepen on the same concepts so effectively. It’s always a story of good versus evil, but the MCU has managed to do it in 22 (arguably) different ways.
(8:15) Tony: “It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about legacy. It’s about what we choose to leave behind for future generations.”
These Iron Man movies focus a lot on Tony’s legacy. Maybe it is because he is the only one with a real legacy (on Earth, that is) to protect, the rest are rather underdogs or unknowns when they become super. Either way, what a fitting quote for Tony’s arc in Endgame. For the first time ever, Tony does not act impulsively, but thinks things through and I think ultimately it is because of the world that he wants to leave behind. Does he want to leave one behind in chaos like the beginning with half of the population gone or does he want to leave behind a world knowing he did all he can to bring the most life?
(13:25) Hammer: We live in a world with great threats. Threats that Mr. Stark will not always be able to foresee.
The point of these movies is always that there is a new threat that our heroes have to deal with. Sometimes they are threats that the heroes have created and sometimes not, but there is always another one. Endgame really marks the first time that there is no “new” threat. Some may have been known entities in the past, but never a re-match until Endgame.
(21:55) Tony to Pepper: “It’s you. It’s always been you.”
This has to have been a callback from Tony’s intro in Endgame. When he is recording a message for Pepper, he mentions his dreams and he says, “It’s you. It’s always you.” From start to end, Pepper has always been his greatest value and the person that occupies his mind.
(39:28) Whiplash to Tony: “If you could make God bleed, then people will cease to believe in him. And there will be blood in the water. And shark will come.”
Let’s take a look back to Infinity War for just a second. When Tony and crew are fighting Thanos on Titan, after a barrage of attacks, Tony takes a breath and Thanos says, “All that for a drop of blood. To us, this is just a taunt from Thanos, but after watching Iron Man 2, this line has to mean a lot more to Tony. That sign of blood is a sign of hope. Thanos, who seemed untouchable by this point in Infinity War has finally bleed. To quote Predator: “If it bleeds, we can kill it.”
(49:28) Rhodey to Tony: “You want to do this whole lone gunslinger act and its unnecessary. You don’t have to do this alone.”
This is a trait we see that doesn’t go away until Endgame. Even up until Infinity War, Tony is impulsive and tries to make a quick fix alone. It is what gets him on Titan with only a few Avengers as opposed to being in Wakanda at the last stand. Endgame is the first time that Tony seems to be a team player through and through. He still winds up being the ultimate hero, but he certainly is not alone.
(49:37) Tony: “Contrary to popular belief, I know exactly what I’m doing.”
What this moment reminds me of is after New York 2012 does not go according to play, the Avengers have to improvise. Scott goes back to the present, but Cap and Tony go to the 70s. Without even telling him the plan, Cap jumps on board because of the confidence that Tony oozes. When all else fails, Tony’s intellect never does.
(1:15:44) Howard: “What is and always will be my greatest creation… is you.”
Speaking of the 70s ark in Endgame, let’s use this quote to summarize the whole Tony and Howard relationship from Iron Man 2 to Endgame. For most of Iron Man and Iron Man 2, we are led to believe that Howard was a bad parent to Tony. By the time Iron Man 2 ends, we understand a little bit more about their relationship. By the time Endgame comes around, we have come to admire Howard and this final scene with Howard and Tony solidifies this to be the truth. Ultimately, Stark Industries must fail at some point, but people will always remember the hero that sacrificed his all for the restoration of the world. By the end of Tony’s conversation with Howard, you really do believe that this statement in Iron Man 2 is true.
(1:18:37) Pepper to Tony: “I am trying to do the job that you were meant to do.”
Let’s make just one more parallel with Pepper as Rescue, shall we? Iron Man was always meant to be Tony’s job. Surely the MCU won’t continue without another person in an iron suit, would it? Maybe you have the option of War Machine, but I highly doubt that. Will Rescue be our new Iron Man even as a secondary character?
(1:25:30) Coulson to Tony: “We need you.” Tony: “Yeah, more than you know.”
Let’s take a quick second and try to imagine the Avengers without Tony. Tony has arguably been a leader shared with Cap. Additionally, Tony funds a lot of the Avengers projects and headquarters. He saves NY from the nuke in Avengers. He creates Ultron, but also Vision. He discovers and mentors Spider-man. He develops new tech for the team constantly. He figures out the final piece to time travel. He makes the plan for going back to the 70s and follows through. He has several notable encounters in the final fight. And, of course, follows through on the final snap.
(1:39:54) A small child appears in an Iron Man mask and tries to fight a drone.
Kevin Feige has confirmed that this kid is supposed to be Peter Parker, although indirectly. It has not been referenced outside of Feige’s comments, but it would make sense given Peter’s affinity for Tony in these movies and if somehow Tony knew, it would really speak to his decision in Endgame to get back in the fight.
Rewatching Iron Man 3
A quick note before we begin, Iron Man 3 is a very personal journey for Tony Stark. While this in many ways sets up the character motivations, what I found is that this serves more as a post-lude to The Avengers as opposed to setting anything up. This really was trying to be a self-contained story, which is very unusual for MCU Phase 2. For that reason, there was not as much as I thought might be in there, but still found a few things anyways. Let’s explore!
(7:46) Tony: “I guess 72 hours is a long time between siestas. Didn’t think it could get any worse.”
I’ve already sored your eyes from the amount of times that I have noticed comments about rest (siesta meaning sleep). This is a constant theme of Tony’s character that I just didn’t notice until Endgame. Maybe I was just oblivious or maybe it was a sneaky subtext, but it seems to be so prevalent throughout setting up Tony Stark as a character.
The other reason why this quote stuck out to me is that Tony notes that this is a bad 72 hours and, looking back, the events of Infinity War have to take place over about the same amount of time, right? Even that, but Endgame, minus the big time jump, is a really condensed story. These 72 hours might have been the longest from Tony… until Thanos.
(22:04) Tony: “Threat is imminent and I have to protect the one thing that I can’t live without.”
You might even say threat is inevitable. Tony has always been about protecting everyone, especially with those closest to him. It’s his final act and he is going to do whatever he can to make sure he doesn’t live without Pepper.
(1:54:50) Pepper to Tony: “Is everything going to be okay?” “No. You’re in a relationship with me.”
This is the story of our heroes, and especially Tony. Simply being a hero puts things in the abnormal, which also puts your partner in the abnormal, but then you add Tony’s compulsive behavior, ego, recklessness, secret-keeping, and more and that is just a recipe for disaster. But, in the end, Tony does all that he can to make sure that things will be okay when he is not around.