Thanks to Audi, We Know Tony Stark Probably Won’t Die On a Spaceship in Avengers 4
Spoilers ahead—but not the downforce-inducing kind we’re used to writing about.
As I'm sure you're aware, Marvel Studios has finally blessed us with the first teaser trailer for Avengers 4. The trailer's opening scenes depict the superhero squad's resident playboy and philanthropist Tony Stark stuck in a dire situation immediately following the events of Infinity War. The short clip strategically withholds intel and surely raises more questions than it does answers. However, we noticed some pretty concrete evidence that implies that the aforementioned debacle won't spell the end of Iron Man. And it all has to do with a certain electric concept car: the Audi E-tron GT.
If you haven't watched the last Avengers flick or are one of those people who would prefer to go into next year's movie with as little prior knowledge as possible, feel free to click away now to avoid spoilers.
Are they gone yet? Good.
Now, for those of us who are up to speed, you'll know that Infinity War ends with Mr. Stark and Nebula still on the planet Titan after Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, and what remained of the Guardians of the Galaxy disintegrated into dust. You'll also likely know that the trailer for the sequel, now officially known as Avengers: Endgame, opens with Tony stranded on the Benatar, the spaceship once operated by the Guardians and yes, named after Pat Benatar.
Recording what he likely thinks will be a final goodbye to Pepper Potts, Stark mentions that he hasn't had food or water in four days, that oxygen will be depleted the next morning, "and that'll be it." However, we have reason to believe that this won't be it and that Tony Stark will somehow find his way back to Earth. The reason? He's got product placement deals to take care of.
In a promotional video revealing the Audi e-tron GT Concept electric car starring Robert Downey Jr.—y'know, the actor that portrays Tony Stark—and Audi design chief Marc Lichte, RDJ definitively confirms that his character will be driving the e-tron GT in the fourth Avengers movie, continuing a decade-long embedded marketing shebang between Iron Man and the German luxury auto brand.
What does this mean? Well, unless Peter Quill had an electric Audi sedan stowed away somewhere on his spacecraft, Tony Stark is makin' it back to Earth.
We'll be the first to admit, however, that this theory isn't exactly bulletproof. I mean, the e-tron GT could perhaps be part of a flashback sequence that sees Stark tooling around in the German EV during his pre-Thanos days. One could also hypothesize that this is all part of one big fakeout, that Tony does indeed die on the Benatar, and the car will actually be driven by Black Widow or the newly-beardless Cap or something.
But the odds of that seem about as likely as Thanos turning out to be real and snapping his fingers before Endgame opens Apr. 26, 2019, dashing the chances for half of us to see how this saga actually concludes. If we had to put money on it, Iron Man's gonna make it off that ship—and there'll be a futuristic-looking, four-door Audi waiting for him when he does.
The Audi E-tron GT Concept previews an upcoming competitor to the Tesla Model S that'll share tech with the Porsche Taycan. It'll get from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds, boast almost 250 miles of range, and be able to charge its battery wirelessly. With movie-star looks that aren't expected to change much when it goes into production in 2020, the GT is just the sort of daily driver worthy of Tony Stark's garage. A garage he'll almost definitely get to revisit during his next cinematic outing.
Whether or not the self-proclaimed genius billionaire will make it to the end of the entire movie alive, though, remains to be seen.
