Marvel’s beloved hero Tony Stark confirmed resurrection for phase five

Olivia DeWan, Editor-in-Chief|March 29, 2023

One of the many posters that were created in support of the petition to bring Stark back to life. Not only were these put up around schools all over the county, but they were also blasted across social media. Photo by Olivia DeWan.

It would be an understatement to say that Marvel fans everywhere were devastated by Tony Stark’s death in Avengers: EndGame. The entire fanbase grieved for months before somewhat coming to terms with his passing, and made their unease known by writing a series of letters, posts, and emails to the Marvel directors in protest. 

We thought their efforts were useless, but on January 31, Marvel: It’s True announced that the MCU was bringing Stark back to life.

“We received so much backlash that resurrecting Tony Stark was really our only option,” director Joe Anthony said. “We love the fans and we want them to be happy. Their concerns about phase five are real, and we didn’t want to lose people who have been loyal followers of the franchise for years.”

The protest caught a multitude of attention, sparking fires in celebrities like Beyoncè, Taylor Swift, and Ryan Reynolds. Some eventually went to the front steps of the White House with signs saying “bring him back” and “Stark 4 life,” but the government kept the whole thing under wraps in an attempt to hide how drastic the situation was becoming. 

In addition, at the World Peace Summit, which was negotiating the cease of nuclear power growth in North Korea, Swift and Reynolds flew twenty thousand miles on their private jet to bring attention to a more pressing issue: Stark’s death.

The summit quickly went from the boring, monotone topic of nuclear war to the heart-wrenching pain of Stark’s death. All world leaders were swayed and signed a petition to bring Stark back that was closed with a wax seal containing solid gold flecks, pricing in at over two million dollars. 

           Next, instead of choosing to release a new album that fans have waited years for, Rihanna decided to write singles advocating for the resurrection of Stark. She even went as far as to pair up with Imagine Dragons and The Weekend. The team held several concerts where all profits went to efforts in resurrecting Stark.

“We had no choice but to agree to their wishes,” Anthony said. “Plus, all of us at the studio love Tony, it was the natural thing to do.”

While the comics depict Stark’s death as well, Anthony encouraged the MUC to go “off script,” saying that Stan Lee’s writing just brought too much pain, and that it needed to be rectified. 

Robert Downey Jr. was asked for a quote by the New York Times, but refused to give any information on the new development, saying he “didn’t want a Tom Holland situation.”

Regardless, the fans are thrilled, and have shown their appreciation and support by cosplaying at great venues and creating piles of fan art. 

“I can’t reveal too much information at the moment, but I can tell you that his resurrection is going to deal with the time stone,” Anthony said. “Don’t listen to the fanatics who say he’s staying dead, because I can guarantee that he’s not.”

Principal Michelle Luttrell even canceled classes for the week in celebration, demanding that all teachers play the entire Marvel series, a total of 49 hours and 56 minutes. Students were not allowed to leave school, having to stay for the entirety of the movies. 

“It was the best day of my life,” freshmen Lacy Jane said. “Everyone was so excited, none of us even slept!”

All other students were in agreement, and even went as far to write letters of thanks to the MCU directors. 

“The support from the entire fandom just proves we made the right decision,” Anthony said. “This is the start of saving the MCU. I mean, how could we let Tony Stark stay dead? He’s the hero we all dream of having in real life.”