Avengers: Endgame almost used Tony Stark’s death design inspired by Batman villain, Two-Face. Marvel Studios’ biggest film thus far culminated the Infinity Saga that began with Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau’s Iron Man from 2008. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo with a script written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the three-hour blockbuster also served as the final outings for some of the MCU’s founding heroes, including its inaugural one.

Five years after the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, Tony had fully checked out on his superhero gig and opted to live a quiet family life with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and daughter, Morgan. He had to suit back up, however, after the idea of Time Heist came thanks to Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), which would’ve allowed them to bring all those who perished in Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) snap. While they successfully accomplished their mission (albeit at the expense of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow’s tragic death), Tony had to ensure that the Mad Titan will never be a threat to MCU’s main timeline. He wielded the power of all six Infinity Stones, snapped Thanos and all his minions out of existence, which killed him in the process.

What came after is potentially one of the most bittersweet moments in the MCU. Tony, who no longer has the ability to speak, slowly dies as those closest to him pay their final farewells. Seeing the franchise’s first hero in that state with half of his body almost fried due to the sheer power from using all the Infinity Stones was heartbreaking. To Endgame’s VFX team, this posed a massive task to get right. In a recent interview with Insider, Matt Aitken, Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Swen Gillberg, and Jen Underdahl recalled the process of deciding what  the character would look like on his final moments. They offered the Russos a string of options, including a more grisly one inspired by Two-Face. In the end, they shied away from that because they needed a more subtle look without taking away from the seriousness of his injuries.

Endgame is one of the 10 films included in this year’s Academy Awards’ shortlist for the visual effects category. The movie involved varying kinds of VFX work that includes actor de-aging and character designs for the likes of Thanos and Smart Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), not to mention the entire third act battle which featured a lot of moving pieces. But while the movie was heavily created digitally, at its core are its story and key players, evident in its effects team’s breakdown of Tony’s  dying character aesthetic. There were a lot of things to consider before making creative decisions. Shying away from a more gruesome physical state for the hero as it could’ve totally changed the atmosphere of the somber scene is a testament to how much attention to detail is needed to get pivotal scenes like this.

Aitken (Weta digital VFX supervisor): “We gave the filmmakers a full range [of looks] to choose from and one of those was where the energy from the stones had acted right up into his face and popped one of his eyeballs out and it was hanging out on his cheek.”

Underdahl (Marvel VFX producer): “We did go several rounds on that guy from grisly to not so grisly to more light of a touch, back to OK this is the spot where we think the audience is not going to get too freaked out, but also really understand that Tony has reached the point of no return…We did do a Two-Face version where you got inside and you saw the sinews and you saw them in the teeth and that… It takes you away from this really powerful moment. You don’t want to be focusing on that or grossed out.”

As minuscule as it may seem, deciding on what the usually vibrant and properly groomed billionaire was supposed to look like on his final minutes was instrumental in nailing the said scene. Iron Man has been the poster boy of the MCU, and his death in Avengers: Endgame marked the end of an era and simultaneously, the beginning of a new one. On a smaller scale, those who have followed his personal journey since he debuted on the big screen more than 10 years ago felt satisfied as he arguably has one of the best character arc closures in cinema.

More: Why Tony Stark Had Captain America’s Shield In Iron Man 1

Source: Insider

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