Hi! Could you please make an analysis of Homecoming, IW, Endgame and possibly FFH (since Happy mentions her in that film), from Pepper's POV? I've always thought her witnessing of Tony's feelings about Peter, as well as her own feelings about him, have been so interesting yet so subtle. I love your idea of making an analysis from her POV! Please do that, thanks so much! (Love your work BTW)
Hi! Thank you so much for all the support! I feel flattered, thank you.
Letâs start by reminding ourselves that Pepper is the one person who has been trying for YEARS to make Tony give up the suits. Sheâs the one that usually is against putting people in danger and the dangerous life in general. So when the first thing she asked in Homecoming was âWhereâs the kid?â you know something is up. People usually love to make Tony the villain in this situation, saying he was about to âkidnapâ Peter and expose him to more danger when the one that organized the meeting was Pepper. And Pepper would never put a kidâs life in danger. And letâs remember Tony clearly said: âWhen youâre ready⊠Why donât you try that on?â referring to the IronSpider, he was going to let Peter into that room ONLY if he put on the suit, covering his identity. Not exposing it.
So why is she so calm about this?Â
She trusts Tony. She trusts his judgment. She knows this kid is important to Tony and that he sees potential in him. See, this is probably the third time in this movie where they let us know that Tony has been talking nonstop about Peter.Â
Tony even tells her this: âYou know what? He actually made a really mature choice. It just surprised the heck out of us.â like this is a random topic they speak about every other day.Â
She casually asks where he is, and then gets exasperated because she has a room full of people waiting for Peter. Tony made Pepper organize a room with fifty reporters to introduce Spider-man as the newest member of the avengers and she agreed with it. She knows the kid is special. She knows the kid can do it. Why? Because Tony told her. Because Tony constantly talked about the kid.Â
They were taking a break exactly because of his obsession with the superhero world. His obsession with putting a suit around the world. So why would she agree with Tonyâs decision about Peter? She can see the kid is good for Tony.
In that exact same scene, he told Happy: âHow about a loose follow? All right? Boundaries are good.â
One of the greatest things about Tony and Peterâs relationship is how they both help each other grow. And this is what Pepper saw. She saw this kid helping Tony recover from many of his deepest traumas and toughest scars.Â
Then two years of her witnessing their relationship we get this:Â
Tony tells Pepper he had a dream about them having a kid. And instead of being surprised (given that Tony has never before expressed a desire to have kids) like you would expect her to be; surprised or confused, this is her reaction.
She knows what this is about.Â
Notice how Tony doesnât say we named her or we named the kid, he said:Â âWe named him after your eccentric uncle.â He was thinking about a boy. And how much of a coincidence is that heâs been a father figure to Peter in those two years and suddenly heâs like:Â âAre we expecting?â lmaoÂ
Sheâs like: Riiiight. lol
She even points out they donât have a wedding date yet and the man is already thinking about kids.
The next discussion plays a big role in Tonyâs denial in Endgame. She tells him that if he really wanted to have a kid, he wouldnât have the housing unit on his chest. And Tony insists that itâs nothing. Itâs just a housing unit for nanoparticles. lmao
He again insists heâs just trying to protect them (Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, etc) and the future (Peter). And tells her that itâs only in case thereâs a monster in the closet. Thereâs a monster and Tonyâs been afraid of this monster for six years and we all know it. Heâs scared.Â
She can see how Happy he is. How excited he is to finally settle down. Heâs really thinking about doing it.Â
She knows this is not only hers but Peterâs influence.Â
Then life is so tragic for Tony that in that exact moment Strange comes and tells him everyone is in danger and they need him. So he does what he always does. He helps, he puts the universe first.Â
And then the bad thing happens.
Bear in mind that Pepper is probably the one that saw Tony break down a thousand times over the course of those 5 years. She saw him mourn Peter. She saw him cry for Peter. Even with a kid, wife and a life without the superhero pressure, heâs not happy and you can see it. Throughout all of Endgame, he wears the worn-out expression all the time. Like heâs exhausted and tired. Emotionally drained. Now, by saying this Iâm not implying he doesnât love Pepper or Morgan, itâs just that someone who has lived through so much like Tony doesnât really recover with only a few years.
And you know whatâs worst? Pepper saw him put that picture of him and Peter on the kitchen, where everyone could see them. Where Tony could remind himself every day of his failure. He probably designed the house and she saw him put the picture where she knew he would see it every day. In a house full of happy memories and family photos. She knows Peter is family and that he lost a child.Â
Iâve known so many people who have lost their kids and one of the things they usually do before, through, after grief? They want the world to remember their child. Some of them keep their rooms intact, not touching anything or moving anything, some frame their biggest accomplishments on their walls and some keep their pictures close by. This is what Tony did.Â
People who have lost kids can learn to pick up the pieces and move forward, but their lives will never be the same. And this is one of the things you can see in Tony. Heâs not the same. He can move forward but the person he was before Titan? He canât get him back. Â
He struggled every day with happiness, having everything and nothing at the same time. Imagine him holding grief in one hand and his happy ending in the other. Everyday. Pepper saw all of that.Â
Think about it, he didnât have anyone else to share his grief. Ned and May were dusted. He was alone with his grief. Pepper could only support him with some things, she mustâve felt impotent. And this is important later in the movie.Â
Then Cap and co come to his home and ask him for help. Scott tries to convince him by telling him that they have a chance now and asks him if he is really not going to even try and Tony right out says: âThatâs right, Scott, I wonât even. I got a kid.â
âI lost the kidâ /Â âI got a kid.â
Then, Pepper sends Morgan to âsaveâ Tony from the conversation. She knows this is painful for him. She knows what this means to him. She must be tired of seeing him suffer for this.Â
Cap argues that this is a second chance and Tony tells him that Morgan is his second chance.
Tony tells him that he âcanât roll the dice again.â Itâs too painful for him. He feels like he already made that mistake once and itâs not willing to go through that pain again. And Natasha clearly tells this to Steve: âHeâs scared.â
When he cracks time travel, he tells Pepper that he did it. And notice how she puts her hand on his while she tells him they were really lucky but that many people werenât. She entering a dangerous topic for him and she knows it.Â
He immediately avoids her eyes and tells her he canât help everyone. And she assures him that NOW he is capable of doing it.Â
Heâs still scared and she can see it. Thatâs why when he tells her that he can stop at that moment, something he didnât in the past and he believes is part of the reason Peter died. He says he can put a pin in it and go to bed. But she doesnât let him and asks him if he is going to be able to rest. She knows he wonât. Because in those 5 years he hasnât exactly been resting.Â
Remember when I said Pepper mustâve felt impotent? This is where this part comes to play. Sheâs tired of seeing him suffer and she knows how important Peter is.
So she proceeds to spend the majority of the battle protecting Peter.Â
âHang on. I got you, kid.â
Protects him and stands in front of him almost the entire battle.
This kid is important and essential in Tonyâs journey, happiness and life and she is determined to not let him get away again.Â
True. Peter is suffering here. Heâs in deep pain. But doing this might be just as painful for her.
She now has to watch Peter break himself just like Tony did in those 5 years.
And you know sheâs going to keep an eye on him. Will help him with anything he needs.
She knows this is what Tony wanted. For Peter to keep going, to keep his legacy alive. And sheâs going to support Peter in the process.Â
Iâll be doing the Civil War and FFH later if you guys are interested.
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