Robert Downey Jr. Improvised Another Emotional 'Avengers: Endgame' Line

Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark took a piece of many fans’ hearts when he debuted as the superhero over a decade ago with 2008’s Iron Man. The film began the Marvel Cinematic Universe and introduced us to a now-iconic character. The 54-year-old actor’s portrayal incorporated parts of himself, even improvising some of his most famous lines. Avengers: Endgame, which marked Downey's final MCU film, was no different, and now we’re learning of another part which actually came from the actor.

Fans were obsessed when learning that the heartfelt line “I love you 3000” from Iron Man in the final Avengers film was actually inspired by Downey's own children, as the actor altered it to match what his kids say to him in real life. And it looks like that certainly wasn’t the only bit of improvisation he did for the blockbuster film. According to co-director Anthony Russo, Downey actually added in the part where Tony Stark calls Steve Rogers a liar.

In Endgame, Iron Man returns back to Earth and reunites with Captain America, who he hasn’t seen since the events of Captain America: Civil War. The scene is already tense, but it’s only intensified when Tony confronts him and says to him, “No trust, liar.” As reported by CinemaBlend, Russo revealed to Empire that the word “liar” was Downey's choice. He explained:

“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.”

Some of the most emotional scenes throughout the MCU have been improvised by the actors, such as Tom Holland adding in his own bit of dialogue as he faded away in Avengers: Infinity War. This just goes to show that the stars behind our favorite superheroes are just as invested as us fans, which makes for better results in the end.

This article also appears on Mental Floss.