Infinity War is considered the most significant battle in the entire Marvel cinematic universe, and as the plot unfolds, some superheroes may be completely eliminated. However, it’s still unclear who exactly these superheroes will be, leading many to believe that Iron Man might be the one to die.
Must there be a character that truly dies in the Marvel universe (meaning death is final, not just a temporary resurrection)?
Take a moment to recall the Marvel superhero films leading up to now and see if any characters have died in a definitive way. Among the characters that we thought had died include Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, Pepper Potts, Loki, and Bucky… All of them were believed to be dead at some point, only to reappear later.
Even in Civil War, War Machine was severely injured, leaving audiences feeling concerned about his fate, as he was critically injured and could not survive… but he did (since Tony could easily fix him with a new leg and he reappears later). Thus, it can be seen that in the Marvel cinematic universe, no character has truly died yet, and Infinity War will be the perfect moment to eliminate a character, allowing viewers to feel a deep emotional impact.
If Iron Man dies, it will have the greatest impact on the audience.
Among all the superheroes in the Marvel universe at this current time, Iron Man, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., is the character that audiences cherish the most. Although the latter two installments of the Iron Man series did not achieve the same success, this actor has still managed to maintain a strong fan base worldwide.
With such a loyal fanbase, the death of Iron Man would certainly be a significant shock to fans. Just think about the emotional impact if a character like Winter Soldier died; fans would still care, but not as much. The death of Iron Man, however, would genuinely be a shock that fans would never forget.
In reality, audiences may “throw their hands up” but still want to see the main characters die.
Even though the death of main characters would make devoted fans feel conflicted, some might even declare they won’t watch the movie if their favorite character dies. However, in reality, they still go to watch the movie and might even watch it more if they know a main character will die.
This tendency stems from the psychological aspect of audience engagement; once they know a beloved character is likely to die in the new installment, everyone would want to see how it happens. A prime example of this is the death of Paul Walker’s character in Fast & Furious, which drew in significant box office revenue as people were curious to see how filmmakers would use CGI to recreate Paul Walker and simultaneously pay tribute to the late actor.
Robert Downey Jr. is an irreplaceable actor.
Tony Stark – Robert Downey Jr. has been closely associated with the Marvel cinematic universe since its inception, much like Hugh Jackman with the X-Men series; they are characters that simply cannot be replaced. As time goes on, the age of these actors is becoming more pronounced, making it increasingly difficult to maintain their roles convincingly.
Thus, it will be challenging to arrange for a convincing way to replace these actors, and the simplest method would be to have them die on screen, allowing for both audience engagement and a natural exit for the character.
Robert Downey Jr.’s salary is rising.
As his fame grows and he garners more affection from audiences, it’s certain that Robert Downey Jr.’s salary will continue to rise. In some recent reports, his salary has reached up to $40 million, not including bonuses based on box office performance. Meanwhile, other actors receive significantly lower pay, such as Chris Evans, who only earned around $6 million. Therefore, if Iron Man is eliminated and a different character is developed to take his place, the production team would save a considerable amount of money.
(To be continued)
