The last act of defiance from the great Tony Stark.
Iâve seen Endgame three times over the past few days and I think Iâve finally sorted out some coherent thoughts about our beloved Man in a Can beyond âsad.â Iâve typed this out once already, but of course, Tumblr is useless and didnât save the draft so hopefully this is just as good as the first time.Â
To start, I love Tony Stark. I will never be done loving Tony Stark. In a way, I owe him my life, and I wish I could have given it to him, not that it would have changed anything. Tony Stark taught me more than I can type here, but loyalty, love, joy, and heartbreak are all on the list. More than any of those things, though, he taught me that you can save the world, but you cannot count on the world to save you back. You have to do that yourself. Tony Stark lived in an ungrateful universe, and I wish it hadnât been that way. I guess weâll have to see what happens in the aftermath to see if it continues.Â
Second, Tony got his closure. With Steve, with his father, with Peter, and with Pepper. Pepper is maybe the best person Tony could have gotten, despite what my selfish tendencies want me to think. Pepper loved Tony, maybe better than anyone else. She knew right from the start that Iron Man would be the death of Tony Stark, and despite her efforts to stop him, she knew she couldnât and wouldnât be able to succeed. The world needed Iron Man, and she allowed Tony to give Iron Man to the world, regardless of whether or not they deserved it. Pepper understood Tony in a way I hope someone understands me one day. Peter says something in Civil War along the lines of âif I have these powers, and I donât use them, everything bad that happens, thatâs on me.â Tony and Peter have this in common, and Pepper, despite not coming into her super-heroine persona until the last act, understood this about him. At the beginning of Endgame, she asks Tony if heâd be able to rest, knowing full-well that he would not be able to if he knew he had a solution. Pepper Potts knew what she was doing, and she deserved better, though she couldnât have gotten better than Tony Stark.Â
Finally, Tony Starkâs story was so incredibly full-circle. Never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified. He was a man who had nothing, and now he has everything. He was the one to lay down on a wire. Tony Stark did not deserve the ending the universe gave him, and the universe didnât deserve him in turn. Tony did not deserve the hand he was dealt, but, like always, he played his cards in the best way he could have. He is endlessly selfless and endlessly devoted. He took every opportunity to better himself that he got. For his final moments, he had everything. He had his friends, his wife, and more power than was truly able to wield. He was Earthâs best defender, the prodigal son, the bodyguard in a suit. I could not have asked for a better hero than Tony Stark.Â
The first time we saw Tony Stark, he was holding a glass of (presumably) scotch. In tribute, I think we should all poor one out for Tony Stark. If anyone thinks thatâs a good idea and wants to help spread the word, let me know in the notes here or by message.Â
If anything, this is all Proof Tony Stark has a Heart. Even when his stops beating, he still has mine. We are Iron Man. I love you 3000.Â
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