Unraveling Marvel's Cinematic Mystery: The Hidden Plot-Hole in Iron Man's Saga, Revealed!

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Secret Invasion episode 3. Marvel's Phase 5 Secret Invasion has introduced a plot hole regarding Iron Man's sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame, due to the use of the Extremis technology. Iron Man 3 featured the Extremis arc from Marvel Comics, where Tony Stark confronted individuals with enhanced DNA, thanks to the Extremis nanotechnology. Extremis granted the ability to regenerate and heal any wounds, along with powerful exothermic properties. However, the Extremis in Iron Man 3 was unstable, causing users to explode. Surprisingly, Secret Invasion reveals that Extremis could actually function as a stable healing factor.

In Secret Invasion, the Super Skrull takes on the powers of the Fantastic Four. In the comics, Super Skrull imitates the abilities of Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Thing, and Human Torch, thanks to genetic enhancements. However, since the MCU's Secret Invasion occurs before the Fantastic Four film, the Super Skrull storyline had to be altered. Secret Invasion's Gravik utilizes genetic material from previous MCU movies, such as the Frost Beast from Thor: The Dark World and Extremis from Iron Man 3. Interestingly, Gravik's Super Skrull hand introduces a significant change to the Extremis technology that could potentially have saved Tony Stark's life.

Marvel's Phase 5 Extremis Reveal Explains An Iron Man 3 Mystery

Gravik had somehow obtained access to Extremis technology, either from someone with Extremis in their body or from the original source itself. However, Gravik's version of Extremis, which he integrated into the Super Skrull project, appears to be much more stable than the one encountered by Tony Stark in Iron Man 3. Unlike Stark's experience, Gravik does not exhibit concerns about spontaneously exploding, and the Skrull general doesn't experience any pain when using the Extremis powers. In fact, Gravik utilizes Extremis as a healing factor serum, as demonstrated when his Super Skrull hand regenerates in Secret Invasion episode 3.

An ability to regrow limbs or heal injuries would have been immensely useful for Iron Man and other superheroes. In Iron Man 3, Aldrich Killian turned Maya Hansen's original Extremis research into a weapon, with Hansen previously receiving help from Tony Stark during the early stages of the Extremis project. Killian presented his Extremis project to Pepper Potts as a groundbreaking medical technology, but it was ultimately a disguised super soldier project. By the end of Iron Man 3, there was no indication that Tony Stark would further explore the Extremis research or that anyone else would continue studying it.

Why Didn't Iron Man Use Extremis To Survive Endgame?!

In The Wakanda Files: A Technological Exploration of the Avengers and Beyond, whose canon status is open for debate, Shuri conducts a study on the remnants of the Extremis research. She determines that Extremis still holds potential and can be utilized for healing injuries and regenerating lost limbs. The extent of Shuri's ongoing research on Extremis in the MCU's canon is uncertain, however, Extremis resurfaces in Marvel's Phase 4. In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, an underground tournament features a participant enhanced with Extremis, potentially one of the original volunteers from Killich's project.

Gravik's breakthrough with Extremis showcased its potential as a healing serum free from undesirable side effects. Had Tony Stark successfully stabilized Extremis, he could have harnessed its powers to safeguard himself during the monumental events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. While Gravik and the Skrull scientists were responsible for the actual stabilization, it is highly likely that Tony Stark would have reached a similar conclusion. After all, Iron Man's remarkable achievements include inventing a new element and enabling time travel within the MCU. As such, stabilizing a serum would have been well within his capabilities.

Assuming that The Wakanda Files: A Technological Exploration of the Avengers and Beyond is considered official, Shuri also quickly deduced that Extremis could have potential positive applications. If Tony Stark had utilized this more stable version of Extremis from Iron Man 3 on himself prior to Avengers: Infinity War, his encounter with Thanos on Titan would have yielded significantly different results. For instance, Stark would have been able to regenerate and recover after being stabbed by Thanos. In fact, having Extremis integrated into his body could have prevented Iron Man's demise in Avengers: Endgame, even after utilizing the Infinity Stones. Stark's body would have naturally healed itself following the snap.

Although Tony Stark destroyed all of his MCU Iron Man suits at the conclusion of Iron Man 3, his apprehension towards potential future threats lingered. The Ultron project came to fruition because Stark believed he could prevent a war before it even happened. Given this, if Stark was willing to create an AI army powered by the Tesseract to safeguard Earth, it begs the question why he wouldn't further explore the possibilities of Extremis before completely abandoning the project. Looking from within the storyline, the only plausible explanation for this is that Tony did not want to tamper with something that had nearly cost Pepper her life.

The Extremis serum potentially offered a lifeline for Tony Stark's survival in Avengers: Endgame, and there were potential narrative alternatives that could have spared Iron Man's demise. Nevertheless, Tony Stark's death was an inevitable necessity, even if there had been a plausible means within the film's universe to rescue both Iron Man and the entire cosmos in Endgame. The film served as the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), bringing closure to the story that commenced with Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark in Jon Favreau's Iron Man (2008). Downey Jr. had embodied the role of Iron Man for well over a decade by that point, necessitating a proper conclusion for the character.

Iron Man's Death Was Too Important To The MCU To Avoid

If Iron Man had survived in Avengers: Endgame, the entire MCU would have never been able to move forward without the presence of Tony Stark. The recent cameos in the Multiverse Saga have already sparked numerous theories about the potential return of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in Avengers: Secret Wars, indicating that the connection between the MCU and Tony Stark will endure. Moreover, the events of Avengers: Endgame needed to have a profound impact on the larger MCU narrative. By bringing back all the Avengers who were snapped away in Infinity War, it further reinforced the notion that superhero deaths rarely carry any lasting consequences. Thus, the deaths of Black Widow and Iron Man in Endgame were inevitable, irrespective of any potential solutions like Extremis.

The MCU frequently revisits storylines from earlier films, which has become even more common in Marvel's Phase 4. For example, She-Hulk's The Incredible Hulk references. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown, numerous concepts and characters from Marvel Comics have already been used or referenced. One of these is Extremis from Secret Invasion. However, this approach can create inconsistencies and gaps in the plot, like why Iron Man never perfected and used Extremis on himself. Answering these questions from an in-universe perspective can be challenging, as they essentially involve retconning in the MCU.

New episodes of Secret Invasion are released every Wednesday on Disney+.