Popverse's top stories

• Clayface is "very connected" to the mainstream DCU, says James Gunn - but it's also a first for DC Studios
• What time do new Legend of Vox Machina episodes come out? Here's the season 4 release schedule for Critical Role's Prime Video series
• Watch You Had Me at Hockey with Rachel Reid, Ngozi Ukazu, Emily Rath, Bal Khabra, Stephanie Archer, & Kate Cochrane from Bookcon 2026!

Not surprisingly, two-time Iron Man director, Jon Favreau, had strong feelings about the plans for Robert Downey Jr.'s MCU character to meet his end in Avengers: Endgame. In addition to directing the first MCU movie, 2008's Iron Man, and its follow-up, Iron Man 2, Favreau portrayed Tony Stark's driver and close friend, Happy Hogan, in several MCU films. Arguably, part of the longterm success of the MCU can be attributed to Favreau making the franchise's first film such a solid success. 

During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Favreau opened up about his intense reaction upon learning of Tony Stark's fate in Endgame. "I called [Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony] the Russos. I was like, ‘I don’t know about — I don’t think people — I don’t know if people are going to like — I don’t know! I think it’s going to really impact people because there they were kids that grew up with that character,'" Favreau began. "But I have to tell you, it was handled so well by them, and Gwyneth [Paltrow] and Robert [Downey Jr.] did such a wonderful job acting, and I think it added a poignancy to it. I think they did a wonderful job. I was wrong. I was wrong. I was choked up! Even though it’s a movie, those characters have been part of my life for so long."

Previously, Joe Russo told Vanity Fair the concerns that Favreau had while they were shooting Avengers: Endgame. "I remember pacing on the corner of a stage on the phone with Favreau trying to talk him off a ledge because he’s like, ‘You can’t do this. It’s gonna devastate people, and you don’t want them walking out of the theater and into traffic.’ We did it anyway," Joe Russo said. 

Avengers: Endgame ended up grossing $2.799 billion at the box office, so it's safe to say that the gamble of killing off Tony Stark worked out in the end. 

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst
• Our weekly Marvel insider's column, Marvel Matters