Deleted Endgame Death Could Be the Missing Link to Robert Downey Jr. Becoming Doctor Doom
Avengers: Endgame broke hearts with Tony Stark’s sacrifice and Steve Rogers’ long-awaited dance with Peggy Carter — but the cut you saw almost ended very differently. Inside the scrapped finale that could have changed the MCU forever.
Endgame already wrecked us, but there was an extra gut-punch Marvel shot and then tossed that would have made Tony Stark's exit even heavier. And with all the chatter about Robert Downey Jr. circling back to the MCU as Doctor Doom in 'Avengers: Doomsday', that cut scene suddenly feels weirdly relevant again.
The Endgame moment you never saw
Remember the eerie, in-between place where Thanos sees young Gamora after he grabs the Soul Stone? Fans call it the Way Station. Marvel actually filmed Tony landing in that same space right after his snap. There, he meets an older version of his daughter, Morgan Stark, played by Katherine Langford. She tells him what he already suspects: the snap killed him. But she also gives him what he needed most in that moment — peace. She says she’s proud of what he did, that his sacrifice saved countless lives. It’s designed to be Tony’s final bit of closure before he goes.
Why the Russos cut it
On paper, it sounds perfect. In the edit, it didn’t land. Test audiences weren’t crying — they were confused. We’d never met adult Morgan before, so the scene didn’t hit the way Marvel hoped. On top of that, Endgame was already juggling time heists, overlapping character arcs, and an all-timer final battle. Dropping in a brand-new version of a character we only knew as a kid slowed the movie and made a dense story even heavier.
The idea wasn’t the problem. The execution was. Tony’s deepest connection is with his little girl — not an adult version he never actually knew. If he’d seen young Morgan in that Way Station, mirroring Thanos with young Gamora, the emotional logic would have clicked instantly.
Why that deleted idea might matter now
Now comes the rumor mill: reports have RDJ returning as Doctor Doom in 'Avengers: Doomsday', potentially as a twisted multiverse version of Tony. If that’s what Marvel is cooking, the Avengers could be staring down a villain who looks exactly like the guy who saved them. That’s messy, and compelling.
It also opens the door to repurpose the Way Station concept in a new way. If Doom is some Tony-adjacent variant, the crack in his armor is still Tony’s classic weak spot: family. Morgan could be the key — either Earth-616 Morgan reminding him of the life he lost, or a different universe’s daughter-like figure who can cut through the rage. Flip the old scene on its head, and you’ve got a moment that could turn a fight into a reckoning.
It’s out-there, sure, but if Marvel wants an emotional throughline to anchor a Doom-sized threat, this is a clean way to do it.
Quick hits
- Avengers: Endgame basics: directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo; cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner; Rotten Tomatoes score is 94%; runtime is 3h 1m.
- The cut scene: Tony enters the Way Station post-snap and meets an older Morgan Stark, played by Katherine Langford, who gives him closure and pride in his sacrifice.
- Why it was cut: test audiences were confused by an adult Morgan they’d never met; the scene slowed an already packed movie.
- How it might work better: swapping in young Morgan would have mirrored Thanos and young Gamora and matched Tony’s emotional reality.
- What’s next: Endgame is streaming on Disney+. 'Avengers: Doomsday' is reportedly set for December 18, 2026, with rumors that Robert Downey Jr. returns as Doctor Doom.
Would you want Marvel to bring that Way Station idea back — just pointed at Doom this time?