The Avengers: Endgame writers reveal Iron Man almost dropped the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first F-bomb in his final words to Thanos. Earlier this year, Marvel Studios released Avengers: Endgame, the epic conclusion to the MCU thus far. The movie wrapped up what Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige termed the Infinity Saga, the story the MCU has been telling since 2008’s Iron Man officially launched the franchise. Endgame united all six of the original Avengers, and some of their friends, in a time travel mission. The movie concluded, however, with a battle sequence of the Avengers and their resurrected allies against Thanos and his army in a massive superhero showdown.

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Considering it’s arguably the biggest cinematic event in history, it’s no surprise Avengers: Endgame is a major success, crossing the $1 billion box office mark in record time – all while delivering a satisfying conclusion for fans. In the weeks since Avengers: Endgame hit theaters, directors Anthony and Joe Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have offered plenty of behind the scenes information about the notoriously secretive project. Though their comments on how time travel works in Avengers: Endgame may have confused many, they’ve also shared plenty of tidbits about what could have been in the movie.

One of these bits of info recently revealed by writers Markus and McFeely on the Empire Podcast is that Avengers: Endgame almost had Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) telling Thanos to “F-ck off” right before using the Infinity Stones to snap away the Mad Titan’s army. The line that eventually made it into the film was, “I am Iron Man,” a callback to the very end of Iron Man. On the podcast, the writers said,

I think there was f-ck you at one point. Didn’t he say f-ck off? He may have said it…you do a lot of takes. Like can we really end all this on a complete swear? On a kiss my ass Thanos?

Given the positive reaction to the “I am Iron Man” line among Avengers: Endgame audiences, there’s no doubt the directors went with the right choice. In fact, as the Russos revealed last month, that Iron Man ending change was made at the last minute – once Downey Jr. was convinced the “I am Iron Man” line was needed. The directors said they went through a number of possibilities for Iron Man’s final words, since at the time he didn’t say anything in response to Thanos’ “I am inevitable.” It seems some of those options included an F-bomb, which would’ve been a first for the MCU.

Certainly, though Iron Man hasn’t sworn in any of the MCU movies, it wouldn’t necessarily seem out of character for the snarky superhero. But it also doesn’t entirely fit with the tone of the franchise, nor the emotional impact of the moment. The attitude of Iron Man in that scene is, no doubt, “F-ck you, Thanos,” but to put it so bluntly in the character’s dialogue is a bit too on the nose. It’s much more in Iron Man’s character to mean “F-ck you” by referencing himself with “I am Iron Man.” Plus, sometimes dropping and F-bomb just for the sake of it can undermine the emotion of a scene, making it humorous when it’s not meant to be.

Altogether, it’s an interesting insight into what alternatives were entertained for such a key moment in Avengers: Endgame, but the line that ended up in the final cut is no doubt the best option. While there may be fans who wish Iron Man had dropped an F-bomb in that scene, “I am Iron Man” brings his story full circle in a satisfying way. After all, concluding the story of the MCU thus far in a massive cinematic event was the main goal of Avengers: Endgame, and they pulled it off spectacularly – even if there will always be aspects fans wish were different.

Source: Empire Podcast

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Molly Freeman
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Molly Freeman is the lead news editor of Screen Rant and one of Screen Rant’s Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved movie critics. She’s been writing for Screen Rant since 2014 and has appeared on the Total Geekall podcast. Previously, she’s written entertainment news for Bustle and had personal essays published on HelloGiggles and Femsplain.

A graduate of Ithaca College’s Journalism program, Molly originally planned to be a music journalist before moving into entertainment journalism after spending so much of her downtime binge-watching all manner of movies and TV during her formative years. Still, she enjoys every chance to put her music and musical theater knowledge to good use, particularly when it intersects with her love of superhero movies.

Beyond that, Molly spends her free time reading young adult and romance novels, rooting for the New York Rangers hockey team (LGR!) and going out to brunch. Follow Molly on Twitter and Instagram @mollyrockit, or contact her directly: molly(at)screenrant(dot)com.

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