Much to the delight of audiences, Avengers: Endgame saw the reunion of the MCU’s co-leads, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. The pair hadn’t spoken since the events of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, when they were torn apart by their differing opinions on the Sokovia Accords. However, Tony and Steve’s initial meeting in Endgame didn’t go down very well.
One of the most emotionally-charged scenes in the movie, Steve asks Tony if Thanos gave any indication about where he might go after the snap. Tony, still angry that Steve refused government oversight of the Avengers and disliked the idea of a “suit of armor around the word,” snaps at Steve. Tony feels that if Steve had been on his side, the events of Avengers: Infinity War never would have happened. In the heat of the moment, Tony, face-to-face with Steve, says he no longer trusts him and calls him a “liar.”
As it turns out, the “liar” line was improvised by Robert Downey Jr. In an interview with Empire, Anthony Russo talked about Downey’s performance in that scene:
“I think that was one of Downey’s most inspired performance moments in the movie. He very much reverts to, this is the guy who felt forsaken by his father – you can see his intimacy and trust issues in that moment when he turns on Cap. Downey performed the scene with a lot of energy. We didn’t do it many times, because he was expending himself so, so much. He understood it very well.”
Robert Downey Jr. has notoriously improvised some of Tony Stark’s best moments in the MCU, most notably the “I am Iron Man” line at the end of the first Iron Man film (which shows up again in Endgame). However, the intense scene with Tony calling Steve a liar might take second place time in due time.
What do you think about the improvised “liar” line in Endgame? Do you think Tony was right to still be angry with Steve? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below!