The Iron Man death scene in Avengers: Endgame was originally super gruesome and new fan art imagines this R-rated version of Tony Stark’s death. After originating the role of Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. concluded his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the release of Avengers: Endgame. Though Tony started off his journey as a self-serving - albeit genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist - hero, Iron Man sacrificed himself in Avengers: Endgame to defeat Thanos. A human hero with no abilities aside from the genius that helped him build the Iron Man suit, Tony couldn’t withstand using the Infinity Gauntlet, and ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

Downey Jr’s death scene in Avengers: Endgame was heart-wrenching for many reasons, not least of which being the actor’s performance as he says goodbye to his best friend Rhodey (Don Cheadle), his protege Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and his wife Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). Iron Man’s legacy lives on in the MCU, and among Marvel fans in real life, but they’ll always be able to revisit the character’s journey by watching the films. However, what fans may wish they could unsee is new Avengers: Endgame fan art that envisions an alternate, and much more gruesome version of Iron Man’s death scene.

Graphic artist BossLogic shared two new pieces of Avengers: Endgame art on Twitter, envisioning the more R-rated version of Iron Man’s death that was detailed by Weta digital VFX supervisor Matt Aitken in an interview with Insider. “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,” Aitken said. “They didn’t go for that one.” See BossLogic’s two interpretation of this scene below.

It’s easy to see why Marvel didn’t go with this version of Iron Man’s death scene, since it would’ve surely guaranteed Avengers: Endgame was rated R instead of PG-13. Though R-rated Marvel movies seem a more likely possibility with Blade and Deadpool 3 in the works, it’s unlikely the studio will ever release an R-rated Avengers movie. PG-13 movies have a much larger potential audience, which means they have a much larger potential box office gross, and Avengers films are Marvel’s biggest money-makers. Considering Avengers: Endgame is the highest grossing movie of all time, Marvel was smart to ensure it retained a PG-13 rating.

It’s no doubt interesting to see what other possibilities were considered by the visual effects artists on Avengers: Endgame. While Aitken paints a fairly ghastly picture with his description of the alternate look they envisioned, it’s another thing entirely to see it brought to life by BossLogic’s art. Still, it’s better that Marvel didn’t use a more gory version of Iron Man’s death scene since it may have detracted from its emotional resonance. The scene was about the weight of Tony’s sacrifice, and the impact it had one his fellow superheroes, especially his family. Fans may have been distracted from Downey Jr’s performance if they were forced to watch Iron Man with his eye melted out of its socket.

So while there may have been fans who wished Marvel went with this version of Iron Man’s death scene, it’s best the studio didn’t. Those fans will have to make due with BossLogic’s horrifyingly detailed Avengers: Endgame fan art.

Next: The Avengers Don’t Need A New Iron Man (They Need Another Tony Stark)

Source: BossLogic (1, 2), Insider

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