No Way Home Makes Iron Man's Endgame Fate & Legacy Darker
A particular detail in Spider-Man: No Way Home makes Iron Man's (Robert Downey Jr.) death in Avengers: Endgame and his legacy so much darker. Marvel Studios' inaugural character wrapped up his arc in Joe and Anthony Russo's 2019 blockbuster, sacrificing himself to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin). But while his demise was already tragic, learning more about the current state of his legacy in the MCU is so much more depressing.
Since Tony Stark was Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) mentor, he was deeply involved in the character's story. The genius, billionaire appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Meanwhile, his presence loomed large in Spider-Man: Far From Home as the young hero grieved his death in Avengers: Endgame. Spider-Man: No Way Home was Spider-Man's first solo film that had barely anything to do with Iron Man. However, considering the appearance of Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), there were inevitable references to the Avenger, albeit most of them were subtle.
Still, Spider-Man: No Way Home offers fans an idea of the state of Iron Man's legacy in the MCU. After his secret superhero identity was revealed, Peter and Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) moved into Happy's condominium where Dum-E was apparently being kept. For the uninitiated, the robot was created by Tony in his father's workshop at the age of 16 while studying at MIT. According to a newspaper clipping shown as part of the montage in honor of its creator in Iron Man, Dum-E was also a prize-winning robot. Despite his later and higher-tech creations, the Avenger decided to keep it with him, even having it moved to the Avengers facility in Upstate after the Avengers tower was sold. Considering how important it was to the genius, billionaire's story, and personal legacy, the idea that Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) doesn't really care about it so it's in Happy's apartment makes Iron Man's death more upsetting.
Aside from being with Tony for the longest time, it's also worth noting that Dum-E saved his life in Iron Man after Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) took his arc reactor. Between this and the robot's time with the hero, one would assume that Pepper would've liked to keep him in their family collection, perhaps even let Morgan (Lexi Rabe) interact with it as a way to keep her connected to her father. It was supposed to be in the Avengers HQ in Upstate since Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it must have survived its destruction hence why it's in Happy's condo. The fact that Pepper didn't care to keep Dum-E in their lake house suggests that she may not want anything to do with her husband's past as a hero. This makes sense considering that she previously asked him to step away from it before, but Tony's commitment to his heroic cause was so much stronger. Even if his wife agreed to him joining the time heist in Avengers: Endgame, Pepper may still be distancing herself from the Avengers and anything related to Tony's Iron Man stint.
If this is really the case, it might not be for selfish reasons; it could simply be part of Pepper's grieving process. After all, Tony died during the battle against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. It could also be her way of protecting Morgan, making sure that she doesn't follow his suit as a hero risking her life every day. This may explain why Pepper didn't get involved in Spider-Man: No Way Home's story to assist Peter in his problems. Whatever the case may be, to see such an intrinsic part of Iron Man's characterization cast aside is a sad indictment of his wider legacy.