Who Was the Boy at [SPOILER'S] Funeral in 'Avengers Endgame'? Get a Tissue...
Apr. 27 2019, Updated 2:13 p.m. ET
If you're fervently trying to avoid spoilers about Avengers: Endgame, you've come to the wrong place, you just scoot along. But if you have already seen it and have questions about a few details, keep reading.
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OK, are they gone? Let's proceed.
If you watched Endgame, you already know that Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, shuffled off this mortal coil, making the ultimate sacrifice to save the universe. After Hulk brings back everyone who was dusted, Tony uses all the Infinity Stones to erase Thanos and his army from existence, but it drains all his strength and Tony dies, leaving poor Pepper to raise their daughter alone.
The movie ends with Tony's funeral, which brought back a lot of familiar faces, some more immediately recognizable than others.
But who was the boy at the funeral?
Major Iron Man trilogy fans will recognize him as Harley Keener, all grown up from when we last saw him in Iron Man 3. The actor is Ty Simpkins, reprising his role from 2013. This is the boy whose garage Tony uses to fix his suit, and he makes some pretty great upgrade suggestions along the way. Basically, Harley was Tony's surrogate son before Peter Parker came along.
"But what does it mean?" you ask. It's either a simple nod to fans or a possible hint that Iron Man could live on. After all, it's possible for someone else to don the suit and take up where Tony left off.
The leader of Stark Industries wasn't the only person who sacrificed their life to save the universe, though. However, fans might be wondering if she's really gone.
So, is Black Widow really dead?
Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) sacrificed her life to obtain the Soul Stone — "Why couldn't it have been Hawkeye instead?" thousands of fans cried — and it's made clear her death is permanent. But that's super confusing because a Black Widow movie is currently in pre-production.
Either it will be a prequel or Marvel Studios is going to explore alternate / parallel universes, which Endgame kind of explores when Future Nebula kills Past Nebula and doesn't die. My head hurts a little when I think of it, but basically changing events from the past doesn't change the present so much as create a different timeline. Less Butterfly Effect and more Sliding Doors.
Who else is still dead for good?
Unfortunately, even though everyone who was dusted by Thanos upon gaining the last Infinity Stone returned, anyone who died earlier is still gone. That means Vision is still dead, much to Scarlet Witch's dismay, as are early Thanos victims Gamora and Loki.
But hey, I'm choosing the reality where there's always some dimension in which they're alive, and Marvel Studios can decide whether or not to explore those alternate universes in the future. Because I don't want to live in a world where there's no Loki.
