Endgame’s Iron Man & Nebula Improv Made The Avengers Movie Better

Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Nebula’s (Karen Gillan) improvised opening scene in Avengers: Endgame makes the film better. After Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) snap in Avengers: Infinity War, the pair had to find a way to get off of Titan. For three weeks, they were floating in space, giving time for Tony Stark and Nebula to spend time together, which was, apparently, mostly adlibbed. 

As Thanos’ adopted daughter, Gamora endured years of abuse from her father. The Titan favored Gamora (Zoe Saldana) while he was harsh and downright dismissive of Nebula. But in the brief time that she spent with Iron Man at the start of Avengers: Endgame, she experienced what it was like to have a positive father-daughter dynamic with Tony Stark. Karen Gillan revealed that a lot of their one-on-one interactions in the 2019 film were improvised. Downey is known for this, and while it can be off-putting for some, her scene partner did well enough that their interaction just made the film better.

Knowing that the whole scene was unscripted highlights just how natural Tony Stark can be as a father figure. This is important since, for the most part, Tony is portrayed as a self-absorbed narcissist who doesn’t care about anyone else. The fact that Tony Stark and Nebula got along so well despite coming from two different backgrounds highlights his innate ability to get along with others — if he wishes two. But more than that, the Avengers: Endgame‘s improvized opening effectively humanized Nebula. She had been mostly cold and distant, an attempt to protect herself, up until that point. But because the whole sequence felt organic thanks to Gillan and Downey’s ad-libbing skills, it makes Nebula more fleshed out as a character. It emphasizes the kid inside of her as she let her guard down with Tony — something that she rarely did. 

Despite having a clear ending, not to mention the immense pressure to deliver a satisfying ending, directors Joe and Anthony Russo allowed the cast of Avengers: Endgame some degree of freedom while filming. Over the years, the cast has opened up about some of the scenes that were improvised — most of them, unsurprisingly, involved Downey. That includes Tony Stark’s original outburst after he was forced to relive what happened in the fight with Thanos in Titan, as well as Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) final goodbye after he died. It was only recently, however, that Gillan revealed that Nebula and Iron Man’s opening sequence was also ad-libbed. Looking at all these improvised moments, they were all highly effective at tugging at the heartstrings of the viewers. 

Iron Man and Nebula’s introduction scene may not seem like it had any significance other than showing that they were stuck, floating in space for three weeks. But that isn’t the case. It perfectly set up Tony’s arc later in Avengers: Endgame as a father to Morgan (Lexi Rabe). As for Nebula, it cast a totally different light on her; now, fans know that underneath that hardened exterior is a kid at heart, and sets up an element of Nebula that James Gunn can lean into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. 

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