Avengers: Endgame was Robert Downey Jr.'s final MCU movie as Iron Man and it sounds like the actor had some free roam to make his own personal touches on the script. Not only did he add in the increasingly famous "I love you 3000," but he also improved a hard-hitting line during an early scene of the film. Downey improvised the line where Tony Stark calls Steve Rogers a liar, according to co-director Anthony Russo.
Towards the beginning of Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark arrives back on Earth exhausted, malnourished, and a little delirious. While recuperating, he has a confrontational scene with Steve Rogers, who he has not seen since they had their dramatic falling out in Captain America: Civil War. Tony digs into Steve for saying that they would lose together (a reference to Avengers: Age of Ultron), and calls him a liar.
It's an intense scene, and the way Robert Downey Jr. spits out the word liar makes it land with a lot of impact. The "liar" was all RJD, and Anthony Russo told Empire that it helped make his performance all the better.
I think that was one of Downey's most inspired performance moments in the movie. He very much reverts to, this is the guy who felt forsaken by his father – you can see his intimacy and trust issues in that moment when he turns on Cap. Downey performed the scene with a lot of energy. We didn't do it many times, because he was expending himself so, so much. He understood it very well.
That scene is definitely an early highlight of Endgame. It helps to further divide the Avengers after the Snap and helps to set the tone for the helplessness of the situation they are in. It also helps to set up Tony's arc in the film as he essentially gives up and refuses to support an attack on Thanos.
While Robert Downey Jr. has always brought his A-game in all of his performances as Iron Man, his work in Endgame seems to be getting some special recognition. Some people have gone as far as to say that he should be nominated for an Academy award. We're still very far away from awards season, but it'll be interesting to see how Disney will campaign for Endgame or how voters will react.
Thankfully, there is still some time to see Avengers: Endgame one more time. Though there are lots of new movies arriving every week, Endgame is still holding on and is still playing in some theaters. Will it manage to topple Avatar at the box office?
For everything else coming to theaters, be sure to check out our 2019 movie release guide. For more movie news and updates, keep it right here at CinemaBlend and we'll update as soon as that info is available.
