Iron Man dies in the final act of Avengers: Endgame. Utilizing the cosmic power of the Infinity Gauntlet, Tony Stark gives his life in order to snap Thanos and his army out of existence and save the universe from extinction. Tony Stark’s lakeside funeral includes appearances by all of the surviving Avengers as well as Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet Van Dyne, Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill, Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May, William Hurt’s Thunderbolt Ross … and one particularly noticeable teenager who’s there all by himself. So who was that kid? Some heretofore unknown offspring of Tony’s? A distant relative? Nope. That teen is a character MCU viewers have met before. A high-ranking Marvel Studios source confirmed to IGN that this character is Harley Keener, who was the little boy from Iron Man 3 — and that he’s once again played by Ty Simpkins. The funeral scene brought together all the characters whose lives had been directly touched by Tony Stark over the past 21 films so it stands to reason that young Harley would want to pay his respects to the superhero who saved his life and encouraged his interest in mechanics. You may recall that Harley found Tony, who was suffering from PTSD in Iron Man 3, in his garage and shot him with a potato gun. They quickly became pals and ended up crossing Aldrich Killian’s Extremis-fueled agents. Harley ultimately helped Tony snap out of his emotional state by reminding him that he is, at heart, a mechanic who needs to build things. In the end, Tony left Harley with a garage full of new gadgets as well as a Potato Gun Mach II. Time will tell if Avengers: Endgame will be the last time audiences will see Harley Keener or if the MCU might have grander plans for him now that he’s grown up (especially judging by that sound we heard after the end of the Endgame credits). Given that this is the final film for most of the main Iron Man cast, though, it stands to reason that’s the end of the line for Harley, too. For more on Avengers: Endgame, check out our review, our explainer on the rules of time travel, our theory on how Loki might return now that he has the Tesseract, why Captain America was able to pick up Thor's hammer, what Gamora's status is, what's going to happen with Black Widow's movie, why Peter Parker and Ned are still the same age, and what we learned from our interviews with Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo.<doc-sep>The Marvel Cinematic Universe is widely known for its endless easter eggs and connections to other Marvel superheroes, films, and comic book stories. Avengers: Endgame is no different, and the film actually features a really cool nod to the Robert Downey Jr. film Iron Man 3. There are obvious spoilers ahead, if you haven’t seen the film, leave now. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, there’s a sequence where various groups of Marvel characters are shown off standing together – and while some stand apart, for example Captain Marvel, there is one that is rather noticeable. It’s a young man that’s actually Harley Keener from Iron Man 3 – both of which were played by actor Ty Simpkins. Keener was an important character in Iron Man 3 who helped Tony Stark get back on his feet and, in return, Stark had sent Keener various bits of advanced technology in return. It was an interesting character relationship and one of the first that showed Stark truly interacting with a child on a more emotional level. The emotional connection between the two is played on an even bigger level once you see Keener at the end of Avengers: Endgame. However he was invited to Tony Stark’s funeral is unexplained, but the fact that he managed to show up and join all those that had known Stark just goes to prove how many lives he touched both as Iron Man and billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark. What’s also interesting here is that Keener becomes Iron Lad in the comics. Could this be what Marvel is setting up? Young Avengers, anyone? We’ll know soon enough. In the film Avengers: Endgame… Adrift in space with no food or water, Tony Stark sends a message to Pepper Potts as his oxygen supply starts to dwindle. Meanwhile, the remaining Avengers — Thor, Black Widow, Captain America and Bruce Banner — must figure out a way to bring back their vanquished allies for an epic showdown with Thanos — the evil demigod who decimated the planet and the universe. How do you feel about the Avengers: Endgame connection to Iron Man 3? Does it give the ending even more emotional impact than you thought possible? Let us know in the comments section down below!<doc-sep>Avengers: Endgame is practically one big tribute to the last eleven years of superhero cinema, and so it’s only fitting that the movie is packed with surprise cameos. But while most of these appearances were presumably intended as mere callbacks to previous adventures, one particular cameo has been interpreted by some fans as a potential tease of the character making a full on comeback in Marvel’s Phase 4. Bear in mind that spoilers lie ahead. The character in question is Harley Keener, played by Ty Simpkins. So far, the Jurassic World actor has appeared in only two MCU movies: first as a major character in 2013’s Iron Man 3, then again at the funeral of Tony Stark in the closing minutes of Endgame. But if you thought that this fleeting appearance in the Avengers: Infinity War sequel might be building up to something bigger, co-director Joe Russo’s recent comments to Chinese site Youth Circle suggest otherwise. “He is a character in Iron Man 3, and he will not appear in the future,” Russo explained. “Who knows? We just think that he should attend Iron Man’s funeral. As for his future, I have nothing to say.” Earth's Mightiest Heroes Are In A Bad Mood In New Avengers: Endgame Images 1 of 16 Click to skip MORE FROM THE WEB Click to zoom From the sound of things, the Russo Brothers meant Simpkins’ cameo as little more than a sweet little reference to Tony’s third solo adventure, but like Joe said, who knows? Maybe Harley will ultimately be inspired by Iron Man to get into the superhero game. Perhaps he can even join the rumored Young Avengers alongside a newly grown up Cassie Lang. In any case, it all lies in the hands of Marvel Studios and Simpkins whether or not Harley has a future beyond Avengers: Endgame. But in the meantime, Tony’s other young companion Peter Parker returns to the fray with the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 2nd.<doc-sep>With a runtime of more than three hours, it should hardly come as a surprise that Avengers: Endgame features a lot of familiar faces. In fact, given the long list of heroes, villains, and normies who pop up, the whole thing can feel a bit like a superhero class reunion. But while there are plenty of long-forgotten characters that viewers are sure to remember, there is at least one that you may find yourself struggling to recognize. WARNING: A TON OF MAJOR ENDGAME SPOILERS ARE FEATURED BELOW SO STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT. At the end of the fourth Avengers installment, all of the remaining heroes (and a few non-heroes) gather together for a tragic affair: Tony Stark’s funeral, as the self-described genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist heroically sacrificed himself to defeat Thanos and his alien army. The funeral is a who’s who of the MCU, with nearly every major and minor character appearing to pay their respects to the man who, with all due respect to Nick Fury, was responsible for bringing the Avengers together. (Also let’s not forget Cobie Smulders!) But among all of the recognizable faces, there is one teen boy who doesn’t immediately seem familiar. Is he a friend of Peter Parker? An Avenger in training? Or perhaps a secret lovechild of Tony’s who never revealed himself until now? The answer, it turns out, is none of the above, as the mystery man is none other than Harley Keener. Who? It’s a fair question, as he looked a bit different the last time we saw him and hasn’t really been mentioned since. Keener was the precocious child who became an unlikely friend to Stark in Iron Man 3 way back in 2013. bringing out a paternal side of the super-genius and helping Stark escape his own anxiety to defeat the Mandarin. Keener was never heard from again but Ty Simpkins, who played him in Iron Man 3, reprises the role. Simpkins’ involvement in the film was previously confirmed, leading some to speculate that Keener may have a massive role to play in the story but it turns out, he was brought back for a silent cameo that is so brief that there’s a chance most viewers won’t even notice him. Still, it’s nice to see an old friend of Tony return to say goodbye, as the MCU OG’s death represents a clear closing of the first chapter of the Avengers’ story. Story continues Related Articles: The post ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Had a Cameo From ‘Iron Man 3’ You Probably Missed appeared first on Fatherly.<doc-sep>
Avengers: Endgame is packed full of references to previous Marvel movies, but one of the most telling Easter eggs arrives right at the end. The return of Harley Keener (Ty Simpkins) might just be a touching cameo, or it could be hinting at a big part of Marvel’s plans for what comes next after Avengers: Endgame. Warning: Massive Avengers: Endgame spoilers ahead. If you’re still reading this I seriously hope you’ve already seen Avengers: Endgame because I’m about to spoil one of movie’s biggest moments: Tony Stark dies. It happens during the final battle after Iron Man uses the Infinity Stones to snap Thanos and his army out of existence. The gamma radiation released by the stones kills Tony almost immediately, and one of the final scenes shows a touching funeral that gathers a lot of familiar faces, some of whom don’t show up in Endgame otherwise. That includes fan favorites like Nick Fury and Aunt May, but Endgame also throws in one unexpected character with Harley Keener. You may remember him from Iron Man 3 as the little boy who crossed paths with Stark. Well, he’s back, at least for one brief moment in the latest Marvel movie. For anyone who’s been paying close attention this should come as a huge surprise. IMDb tweeted out the casting news back in 2017, though the announcement may have overestimated Keener’s role in Avengers: Endgame. Now that we’ve established what Harley Keener is doing at Tony Stark’s funeral, let’s dive into what this could mean for Marvel’s future. With Iron Man dead and gone, it’s not unreasonable to assume that someone will take up that mantle. Could it be Harley? It’s a tempting thought, but a quick look to the comics suggests that’s probably not the plan. In 2015, Marvel introduced Ironheart, a 15-year-old genius named Riri Williams who builds an Iron Man-style suit of her own and eventually earns Tony Stark’s support in her quest to become a superhero. Almost as soon as the character appeared in Marvel’s comics, fans began to speculate that she could eventually replace Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, that seems more likely than ever, which probably means Harley won’t be taking on the role. Ironheart Marvel The one big question, however, is who in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will become Ironheart. The most obvious answer is that future movies will simply introduce Riri as a brand new character, either in her own standalone origin story or with a cameo/post-credits appearance in some other MCU movie. Until that happens, it’s possible that Harley (or, more likely, Rhodey) will step into the role temporarily, but it’s probably only a matter of time before Marvel movie fans are introduced to a character that comic book readers have already known for years. Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now.