Velle est posse

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1. “Pepper hates anything and everything that has to do with Iron Man and wants him to live out the rest of his days as a hermit in the mountains because she’s Abusive™ like that”

Meanwhile, Endgame: *literally has Pepper say on screen that she doesn’t want Tony to stop what he’s doing, no matter what it may mean for their family* lmao you were saying

2. Just. Her entrance as Rescue, one fist on the ground in classic iron man pose, helmet slowly coming off to reveal her borderline murderous expression. 12/10 instant Nut.

3. She knew how to operate the armour smoothly (as compared to her mega failure of an attempt in iron man 3) which could only mean one thing: she’s beEN PRACTICING. SHE’S BEEN PRACTICING HOW TO OPERATE THE ARMOUR, HOW TO FIGHT IN IT. I’m so PROUD. Virginia Potts (Stark?) does not show up to anything unprepared, be it a board meeting or a battle for the universe, thank you very much.

4. (Which was another classic “lmao you were saying” moment, see point 1)

5. Honestly? Pepper merely showing up to fight is HUGE in itself. She has a very young daughter who needs at least one parent. And yet, despite knowing full well that either one (or both) of them might not make it out alive, she decided to fight right alongside Tony anyway, in what could potentially be a lethal battle.

6. It might not seem like much (hell, one child Vs the whole universe. No brainer, right?) But for a parent to say “Fuck it, my child will manage, this war needs me” is intense and courageous beyond measure and I need her bravery acknowledged right now immediately.

7. Tony, heroic as he was, was literally iron man. God knows I love him and his resolve to sacrifice everything for the greater good, but at this point it’s almost expected. He’s a superhero. It’s what he does. He knows he was sorely needed.

Pepper, on the other hand? She could have left the battle to the pros. Stayed back to ensure Morgan grows up with at least one parent. But she dropped everything she loved to join the war simply because she could. (Do we stan? Goddamn right we do)

8. And the best part? The war did need her. Her presence, her will to recognise and fight for what’s important, those badass repulsor beams. Hell, even saved Peter from getting smushed at one point. She made an actual, palpable difference.

9. Slightly off topic but like. have you Seen how goddamn adorable Morgan Stark is… Full disclosure I for one would have had major trouble choosing between either a) staying home and devouring juice pops with her or b) possibly killing myself on a battlefield.

10. “Pepper is selfish and doesn’t care about anyone’s feelings but her own!!” See points 5 to 8 thx bye

11. Pepper and Tony fighting in tandem, giving us a beautiful, downright brilliant metaphor about how they always (and in this case, literally) have each other’s backs? Poetic-goddamn-cinema.jpg

12. Ohohohohoho as if that one scene where all the female superheroes showed up to back Carol wasn’t enough (which, by the way, also instant freaking Nut), Pepper showed up right beside them, ready to defend Carol. Like. Move over lmao Pepper Potts is a badass on the same ranks as the other Marvel women, marvel said so themselves.

13. Anyone who still (for reasons I can’t begin to understand) claims that Pepper is somehow inferior to any of the other Marvel women can pack their ignorance into a tiny little bag and walk right out the door, thanks. I don’t make the rules sorry (Marvel does, though. And Marvel says you’re invalid)

14. Staying strong for Tony’s sake while he breathed his last, despite her own obvious devastation. Assuring him repeatedly that his two favourite girls would be just fine on their own. Swallowing the panic she was no doubt feeling to let her husband go in peace.

15. Breaking down only after she knew he was gone for good, so that the last thing he would see was her smiling face, the last thing he would hear was her telling him he’d accomplished just what he’d set out to do. That the universe was safe now (for Morgan, for Peter, for trillions everywhere), and that he could rest peacefully at last.

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Just. Pepper fucking Potts, man

Being her best, most badass self.

Having everyone in the theatre collectively lose their damn minds as soon as she showed up on the battlefield.

On the other hand, Steve ended up completing his arc with a selfish action. No matter how you slice it, if he stayed in the past in the main reality or went with an alternate reality, Steve stood by and presumably just watched so many atrocities occur. I find it hilarious that with all of Howard Stark’s talk about how great a man Steve was and that he was such a good friend, Steve still #1 kept the secret of how Howard and Maria died from Tony with minimal regret, and #2 we now see he went to the past & STILL let Howard and Maria die. So sorry Howard, Steve clearly never gave a damn about you. There’s also the ickiness of kissing Sharon and ending up with Peggy, but that’s neither here nor there. Also, Steve and Peggy kissed once and only knew eachother for 1 year maximum. At least I can also take comfort in the fact that Tony and Pepper had a 10 year relationship with a solid foundation of trust, friendship, conflict at times, but love above all.

(contains spoilers and my mountain of salt)

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But, like, damn. Tony died, which you think would make these maladjusted types jizz themselves because half of them are the kind of sadistic weirdos who make fun of child abuse and stuff, but they’re too busy being entitled babies to enjoy hardly anything about the film except some surface-level flair. 

One of the biggest box office hits of all time and y’all are that salty, huh? One of the most positively received comic book films of all time made you that mad, huh? How’s it feel losing again? 

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Also can we please just talk about VIRGINIA FUCKING PEPPER POTTS???!!!

Who has been with us since the beginning. Who has been in love with Tony Stark for over a decade and has never once put up with any of his bullshit. 

Who has had to watch Tony nearly die in almost EVERY SINGLE movie that she’s been in.

Who KNEW that the moment Tony told her he’d invented time travel that was it. That the ticking clock on the rest of their lives had started and that these were going to be their last days together. That he almost definitely wouldn’t come back to her safe and sound.

And yet she STILL told him to go and fight. Because she loved him so much that she knew he’d be living a half-life if he knew he could have saved his friends. She’d already seen him lose sleep for years and couldn’t bear to see him live that way for the rest of their lives. 

Pepper Potts who, in the end, flew into battle in a suit of armour beside her husband. 

Pepper Potts who had to watch the love of her life die and still kept her composure and kept her cool, choosing to let him know she and their daughter would be okay without him so that the last thing he would feel was peace and the last thing he’d ever see was her smiling face. It wasn’t until after he was gone that she let herself break down.

“You’re going to kill yourself, Tony,” she once said to him right at the very start in 2008. “I’m not going to be a part of it.”  11 years later, she’s the one who found the strength to help him die and hold his hand while it happened. 

Truth is? Every single one of these heroes will die at some point–whether that’s on the battlefield, in a tragic accident, of old age. Some of these characters will die happily, some will die tragically. Some will die for a reason, some will die for no reason at all. 

But however it goes, nobody can ever top how Tony Stark went out. Tony Stark gave his life to save the entire fucking Universe. He died for literally everyone.

His death imparted his life about as much meaning as can possibly exist. His death carries with it the weight of every living being in existence. 

And, speaking as a Tony fan, that means everything. No doubt, his death hurts. His death wasn’t fair. Those of us who love him will never fully accept his passing. But his death meant something. His death was not in vain. And there’s no possible way his death could’ve amounted to more than it did.

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The more I think about it, after all the emotional shock of it, the more I know that this was really the only way Tony’s story could’ve ended. 

Hear me out why: So Iron Man 3 was the natural conclusion to Tony’s original arc–and it was the happy retirement ending. It was the ending where Tony comes to grips with his demons, opens his heart, and puts aside his suits while still embracing his Iron Man identity. Iron Man 3 is when Tony stopped being the man who had nothing–and started to build something more. 

But the moment Tony stepped back into the suit for Age of Ultron? That was when Tony’s fate was sealed. It conclusively proved that Tony “can’t stop.” This is something he even admits in Civil War to Steve. And it was these events that led him down the road to his eventual demise–but also to the salvation of the entire universe. 

I find it ironic that, in Civil War, Tony accuses Steve of being the guy who can’t stand aside when things go south, but truthfully? Tony was speaking about himself. Tony can’t let things go. He can’t let the world suffer when he knows he can help. That’s what makes him a true hero (or, as the Endgame soundtrack calls him, “The Real Hero”). 

In Endgame, despite Tony having settled down, we see Tony’s been working on the time travel algorithm. He’s been working on it for years. Even before the team approached him. He hasn’t let it go. He never let go. His brain won’t shut off. He can’t let the injustice of it all stand. He can’t let Thanos win. 

Pepper calls him out on this. When Tony entertains pretending he never found the key, Pepper says aloud what Tony already knows: can you rest? Can you rest knowing you can do something? It’s a full-circle moment for their relationship–and it’s beautiful. For the longest time, Pepper was terrified of losing Tony to his heroism. In any other film, she would’ve encouraged him to put it away, try to put it aside, but here we see she’s the one telling him, “It’s okay. I understand. You need to do this. Go be a hero.” As Tony predicted in Iron Man, she’s proud of the man he’s become–and she even suits up to join him on the battlefield to fight at his side. 

With this blessing from the woman he loves, Tony opens Pandora’s box. He comes to the team with the time travel technology that will ultimately bring everyone back to life–but with this act comes the inevitable consequences as the ripples in the timestream bring Thanos back. Thanos, like a proverbial nightmare, arrives in a storm cloud, emboldened with a more terrible plan to eradicate all life. To destroy the entire Universe. By trying to do the right thing, once again Tony inadvertently puts the lives of everyone at stake.

We’ve known since Age of Ultron that Thanos represents Tony’s deepest fears: everyone he cares about dying while he still stands. Thanos represents Tony’s failure. “Why didn’t you do more?” as Steve says in the horrifying vision. I understand the fact Tony died to take-down the source of his trauma is inherently a bitter pill to swallow, but, in the end, it was Tony’s choice. He wouldn’t let it beat him–and he would rather die than see his nightmare become a reality. This is because Tony has always been a true hero–something recognizable enough Stephen Strange was willing to stake the entire universe on Tony Stark’s heart. 

So Tony does what he’s been destined to do. Holding all six of the Infinity Stones, Tony snaps his fingers. He does this fully knowing he is going to die, that he’s never going to get to see his little girl grow up, but he dies knowing everyone else will get to have a life. He dies to make sure everyone will get to know at least a semblance of the peace he had for five years. He dies to save his daughter, his wife, his friends, strangers. He dies so that he can finally be at peace–and that’s why Pepper tells him “We’ll be okay.” It’s what Tony needs to hear. Because of him, yes, everything will be okay. 

And the ripple effect of Tony’s sacrifice are immediately seen. Tony is why Steve chose to actually live. Tony’s death gives Steve the courage to finally let go and be happy, because otherwise Tony’s sacrifice would’ve been in vain. Tony’s death allows Thor to go on a journey of self-discovery. Tony’s death allows Clint to reunite with his family. Tony’s death ensures there will be new heroes alive to safeguard the world in his absence. In this way, Tony’s death was the catalyst for all these stories moving forward. He’s the reason the MCU was born–and he’s the reason it continues to breathe. 

I think people (including both audience members and the cast/crew themselves) often forget that movies are not real life, but they are symbols for real life. The point of it all is to escape to another world that is either hilariously similar with very subtle changes or astronomically different to our own. And characters are not only bridges to those worlds, but they are symbols of our own. When I think of myself I literally think of Peter Parker, because he‘s all the things I want to be: responsible, likeable, helpful, empathetic, kind hearted, etcetera. When I think of a father/my father, I think of Tony Stark, because he’s all the things I want in a dad: firm but kind, loving, helpful, present, etcetera. These characters aren’t just little people in little worlds. These characters are, so often, very real for many of us, and their arcs are also real; if Tony Stark dies, what does that say about those of us who relate to him? That no matter how much you try to change, you can only be a hero if you die one?

Remember in Avengers 2012, when Cap said, “You may not be a threat, but you’d better stop pretending to be a hero.” And then in Infinity War, when he said, “Earth just lost its best defender.” THINK ABOUT THAT GROWTH. REALLY THINK ABOUT IT. Steve went from “you’re not a hero” to “you’re the best hero we have” — how? Because Tony grew. He adapted. And if the end of his character arc is death? Really, to me, all that says is no matter how hard you work to be good, no matter what you change and all the good things you do and how many people you save or even just try to save, you’re only a hero if you die for it.

… always… 

… end up… 

… together… 

… at the end.

Tony: *leans against the counter seductively* Just my burning desire for you.

Pepper: OH MY GOD THE OVEN IS ON FIRE.

Tony: No, no, that’s just my burning lo-

Civil War

RDJ: so, Pepper’s away because she’s pregnant

Marvel: …no

RDJ: please?

Homecoming

RDJ: and then Pepper walks in and she’s pregnant and -

Marvel: …no

RDJ: please?

Infinity War

RDJ: so they’re having a jog in the park and Pepper is pregnant -

Marvel: Robert, no

RDJ: watch me

Later on set