Gwyneth Paltrow sat down recently with VARIETY to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her Academy Award win for Best Actress in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. During the interview Paltrow discussed her future in the MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE and gave readers even more telltale clues as to what her character will be up to in this summer’s release of AVENGERS: ENDGAME.
“I mean, I’m a bit too old to be in a suit and all that at this point,” Paltrow was quoted as saying. She goes on the claim that she only even took the role of Pepper Potts as a favor to her friend, Happy Hogan actor and IRON MAN director, Jon Favreau. “I feel very lucky that I did it, because I actually got talked into it. I was friend[s] with Jon Favreau. It was such a wonderful experience making the first IRON MAN and then to watch how important it has become to fans.”
She states by her own opinion that she feels too old to be “in a suit and all that,” however she’s a good 7 years Robert Downey Jr’s junior, with Paltrow at 46 years old and Jr at 53 years old. Clearly this isn’t fan backlash or studio meddling. What’s interesting though is that in Gwenyth Paltrow’s MCU run, she’s really only had to suit up and perform the role of an action hero in IRON MAN 3. We already know she’ll be suiting up as Rescue thanks to this selfie.
This is where the interview becomes a little more opaque regarding the path her future will take, as Paltrow went on to say “I feel honored to be a part of something that people are so passionate about. Of course, if they [Marvel Studios] said, ‘Can you come back for a day?,’ I will always be there if they need me.” Sounds to me like she’s not so much done with the character, but rather she’s done with time consuming, stunt-heavy set pieces. The more intense her role in any future film is, the less time she will have for her main priority, acting CEO of her lifestyle brand Goop.
But what does this mean for the future of Tony Stark? Many fan theories populate the internet as to whom, if anyone, will die at the end of AVENGERS: ENDGAME. There is speculation that the film will end with Pepper and Tony’s marriage ceremony. I can see Marvel pulling a switcheroo and have what fans thought was a wedding really be a funeral, maybe one for Tony Stark? It could be possible Tony’s death could explain Pepper Pott’s decreased appearances in the MCU. Flip side, I could also see a pregnancy and family life taking her and Tony further from the action. After all, Tony already suffers PTSD from the Manhattan invasion in AVENGERS, what kind of effect would the snap have on his conscience?
Son of Celluloid signing off. Share your own or favorite theories in the comments- any fan theory, AVENGERS or otherwise, just don’t forget your tin foil hat. AVENGERS: ENDGAME will be released April, 26, 2019.
