Avengers: Endgame was nothing short of intense, thrilling, heartbreaking and finally... heartwarming. Iron Man, aka Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) sacrificed his life literally for the greater good as we tearfully bid him farewell. It's no question that Tony Stark has left an impact not just in the Marvel Universe but also in pop culture and our lives. Marvel bid him farewell in the most meaningful way, for Tony died a hero. His funeral was attended by the Avengers, their families, and Tony's other closest friends and family like Rhodey (Don Cheadle), Happy (Jon Favreau), Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his daughter. Yet, there were a few people missing; here are 10 characters who should've been at Iron Man's funeral.
The General Public
Tony Stark made an impact on many throughout his time as CEO of Stark Industries, as Iron Man, and then as an Avenger. Sure, there were people who called him the "merchant of death" but he certainly has his supporters and admirers, too. You would think that all these people (and there would probably be thousands, if not more) would show up to pay their respects to the man they only knew by reputation. Then again, maybe they attended a second funeral; oftentimes people in the public eye have a private funeral for those closest to them and a public one for all to attend.
Stark Industries Employees
It's hard to imagine that in all of Tony's years as CEO of his father's company, he didn't make some friends or at least acquaintances along the way. For that matter, Pepper likely has friends there too from her time as Tony's assistant and then the new CEO.
Stark Industries was, and is, a major part of both Tony's and Pepper's lives. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary to see some random people from the company attending Tony's funeral to pay their final respects to him or to at least support Pepper.
Justin Hammer
Remember this guy from Iron Man 2? Hammer is an inept rival of Tony's, and he's the one that recruits Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) to build an array of suits to upstage Tony's creations. Unfortunately for Hammer, this goes horribly awry as Vanko has an evil plot of his own. Hammer is arrested and we haven't seen him since. Maybe by Endgame Hammer would've been out of prison. If so, he could've shown up to pay tribute to his former rival (it'd be the respectful thing to do). Then again, that's not exactly Hammer's style; he's more the type to show up and gloat. It's probably better that Hammer didn't make an appearance, but we would've appreciated the flashback to 2010 and homage to the second film in the Iron Man trilogy.
Christine Everhart
Reporter Christine Everhart (Leslie Bibb) was a character in both Iron Man and Iron Man 2. She played a larger role in the first film as she spends the night with Tony following her brief interview with him and is also the one that informs him about his company's shipment of weapons to the Ten Rings that are being used to attack Gulmira.
In the second film, she is writing a piece on Justin Hammer and plays a less significant role. She and Tony had something of a history but considering how rude she was to Pepper in the first film and the shared animosity between Christine, Pepper, and Tony in the second film it's not surprising Christine didn't show up. Still, she would have been an interesting addition to the funeral-goers.
The Original Rhodey
In the first Iron Man film, Rhodey was played a different actor, Terrence Howard. Since Iron Man 2, Rhodey has been portrayed by actor Don Cheadle. Since Cheadle is now Rhodey, obviously Howard would have had to appear as someone else. Perhaps another old friend? True Iron Man fans certainly would have appreciated a cameo appearance from Howard at the funeral. Almost like the original gang of 2008 that started it all, back together again to celebrate the life of the great Tony Stark.
Dum-E
Remember the robots Tony used in his workshop? Dum-E is one of them. Dum-E saved Tony's life in the first Iron Man film when Obadiah (Jeff Bridges) stole Tony's Arc Reactor. Tony made it to his garage to get the one Pepper had made for him, but it was Dum-E that grabbed the Arc Reactor when Tony couldn't and handed it over just in time.
Unfortunately, Dum-E was destroyed in Iron Man 3 along with Tony's Malibu mansion. Yet Tony obviously brought Dum-E back to life, as Dum-E was seen helping Happy and other workers pack items after the sale of the Avengers Tower in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Considering Dum-E was one of Tony's best helpers, why wouldn't he have been present at the funeral? A funeral for Tony Stark without robots doesn't seem fitting.
MIT Buddies And Professors
Tony was always a genius, encouraged by the world and pressured by his father to succeed beyond expectations. This path led him early on to MIT, which he graduated from at an early age with high honors. During this time in which he was out on his own in the world, Tony surely would have connected with people and made friends with fellow students, professors and the like. It would make sense to see someone Tony knew from MIT just as you would see someone from Stark Industries at Tony's funeral. If no friends or professors came, MIT could have at least sent a representative to give Tony a posthumous award of some kind.
Stan Lee
While Lee did make a final cameo in Avengers: Endgame, it wasn't for the scene depicting Tony's funeral. Stan's cameo was as a hippie when Stark and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) travel back to 1970.
Stan's appearance was nothing short of amusing and a nice way to bid the legend farewell once more since his death in November of 2018. However, had Stan had another cameo at Tony's funeral, it would have made the funeral even more significant as we bid farewell to two legends in one scene. Cue the excessive ugly crying. 'Nuff said.
The Iron Man Suits
Knowing Tony, he'd have probably wanted some of his greatest creations attending his own funeral and putting on some kind of show in the sky. He'd probably go so far as to program them to attend following his demise; after all, he did think ahead and leave behind a video message for his wife and daughter. Even without the suit, Tony is still Iron Man. Pepper is likely the one that gave a hard 'no' to the Iron Man suits being present for his funeral; she never was crazy about them to begin with. Considering the funeral was at Tony's house in the woods, the Iron Man suits couldn't have been far away. In any case, even without the suits in attendance, the people there didn't need a reminder of all the accomplishments Tony has achieved in his lifetime.
Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
Obviously, since Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) also sacrificed herself for the greater good to retrieve one of the stones, her absence from Tony's funeral is excused. Yet, she really should have been at the funeral; honestly, the rule that you have to sacrifice something you love to retrieve the stone is just too much. Poor Clint (Jeremy Renner) grieved deeply for his old friend and tried to sacrifice himself instead. It was touching and heartbreaking all at once to see the remaining Avengers grieve her loss, but without her sacrifice, or Tony's, their happy ending wouldn't have been possible. Natasha was no doubt at the funeral in spirit, though.
Tony Stark has come a long way from the partying womanizer that didn't have a care in the world. He's sacrificed so much for the good of mankind and even though that's what led to his untimely demise, we love and respect him all the more for it. We grieve but we treasure Tony Stark, Iron Man, the movies and so much more that the beloved character has left behind. For all he did, there really is proof that Tony Stark has a heart.