The first trailer for Avengers: Endgame didn’t reveal much about the fate of Iron Man, or how Tony Stark will “genius” his way out of outer space. But thanks to Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame Prelude comic, one persistent Infinity War fan theory can finally be debunked.

Before any MCU fans start to get worried that their favorite reading of Doctor Strange’s original “endgame” quote has been refuted, fear not: it’s still completely valid to spin theories on the Time Stone as the undoing of Thanos. No, it’s the fan theory that Pepper Potts revealed her own mission to save Tony that can officially be killed. Even if it was one of the more intriguing, and sly theories to come out of Infinity War… seeing the evidence in comic book form has revealed the truth.

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The Theory: Iron Man’s Last Call

For those who may not have been following the spinning of Avengers: Infinity War theories after the movie and, in all likelihood, on message boards to this day, this theory begins with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts having put the turbulence of the past behind them. Happily engaged and even thinking about future children - whether they’re real or mentioned in a dream - the two have their sense of domesticity shattered when Doctor Strange and Bruce Banner come calling. Leaving Tony no choice but to leave Pepper, once again, behind.

In what may actually be a span of minutes, Tony is given an explanation of where Marvel’s Infinity Stones come from, and a basic outline of Thanos’ main (and stupid) mission to balance the universe. The lessons are disrupted when the Children of Thanos arrive to fight them, kidnap Doctor Strange, and draw both Iron Man and Spider-Man onto their fleeing spaceship. At which point Tony has only seconds to say what he believes may be his final goodbye to his would-be wife.

The brief exchange between Tony and Pepper is eerily reminiscent of his attempt to contact her as he left Earth in The Avengers. In that event, Pepper’s phone went to voicemail before signal was lost. This time, the pair actually get to say their goodbyes. Pepper, angry to learn that Tony has latched himself to an unknown enemy’s spaceship, and Tony… well, not getting to say much before Pepper’s voice cuts out. That is, unless you’re a believer in the theory that says Pepper managed to deliver one last message between the garbled static of the fading signal. A message that can only be interpreted one way: “I’m going too.”

Since the movie hit theaters, that reading and theory has surfaced, and re-surfaced again and again on Twitter, Reddit, and anywhere else Marvel fans congregate. And with rumors that Pepper would wear her own RESCUE Armor in the next Avengers movie, her promise to follow Tony holds more weight than you might think. At least, it did. But now that Marvel has released a comic version of the scene, the time has come to put this theory definitively to bed.

Page 2 of 2: Marvel Debunks This Infinity War Theory

Avengers: Endgame Prelude Shoots Down The Theory

The reason why this theory caught on and continued to be posited is based on the exact same evidence other fans used to quickly discount it. Much of the fuel is due to Iron Man’s new A.I. assistant, having taken over the role once JARVIS ascended to the consciousness of Vision. The new A.I., named FRIDAY, is given a woman’s voice just like the comics. And that is the source of all of the confusion. Because as many fans pointed out to those suggesting it was Pepper uttering the key words, the voice may be female… but it belongs to FRIDAY, not Tony’s fiancée. Or, if you prefer, it’s the voice of actress Kerry Condon and not Gwyneth Paltrow.

The distortion in the message helps obfuscate the speaker even further, but it’s clarified in Marvel’s Avengers: Untitled Prelude adapting Infinity War to comic book form. The book was titled as such since it released before the Avengers 4 subtitle had been revealed, meaning future issues will presumably be re-titled Avengers: Endgame Prelude as is Marvel’s convention. In the illustrated version of the scene, the speech bubbles confirm exactly what the debunkers have claimed. The message isn’t broken into two parts between two speakers, but is all the final transmission of FRIDAY as Tony presumably leaves range of the A.I.’s host servers: “Boss, we’re losing her. I’m going, too…”

Still Good News For Pepper Potts Fans

The comic leaves no doubt, which means the theories can finally be officially and definitively shot down as soon as they’re posed from here on out. But for perhaps the first time, a hopeful theory being debunked may not actually be bad news for those doing the hoping. After all, the main reason fans wanted to hear Pepper Potts say she was going to come to Tony’s rescue was to see her don a suit of Iron Man armor to become… well, RESCUE. As in, the pilot of the RESCUE Armor built just for her in Marvel’s comic book universe.

Thankfully, Gwyneth Paltrow circumvented the theories all by herself, taking a photo in the RESCUE Armor filming Avengers 4, which was soon leaked all over the Internet. The exact circumstances that drive Pepper to put on the armor are still unknown, and likely to be kept under (better) wraps going forward. No matter the means, seeing Pepper in her own suit of armor will be long overdue, especially after Iron Man 3 gave fans a taste by having Tony deploy his armor to encase Pepper for her own protection.

With the theory debunked, it would seem that Pepper WON’T be pursuing Tony off the planet. Granted, her exact plan after she left Earth’s atmosphere was never clear in the theories. No ‘Pepper to the rescue’ means seeing Tony Stark drifting through space in the Avengers: Endgame trailer isn’t much of a surprise. What remains a potential shocker is what Marvel and the Russo Brothers have cooked up to explain the creation and donning of Pepper’s RESCUE Armor, or whatever version she was photographed wearing.

If the comics or movies can’t shed light on that mystery, then we suppose the Pepper fans have a new question to answer with their wildest, most intriguing theories. In which case everybody wins… except Tony.

Marvel’s Avengers: Untitled Prelude #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.

MORE: 30 Secrets You Missed in The Avengers: Endgame Trailer

  • The Avengers 4 Release Date: 2019-04-26