There’s an interesting reason why Thor wasn’t distraught about Iron Man’s Avengers: Endgame death, and it has something to do with his heritage. As part of the original Earth’s Mightiest Heroes roster, Tony Stark and the God of Thunder had been in many battles together. While they didn’t get many one-on-one conversations, they still developed some kind of friendship born out of their shared experiences. So, it’s curious why Thor didn’t look as distraught as the other Avengers did when Iron Man died in Avengers: Endgame.
Thanos’ Avengers: Infinity War snap randomly snuffed half of life in the universe out of existence. Miraculously, however, all six original Avengers survived the ordeal, sending them on one final mission together — undo to the Decimation and bring back everyone affected by it. While they successfully achieved that goal, Iron Man still had to sacrifice his life to ensure a future that wasn’t threatened by the Thanos. Stark’s death beautifully wrapped up his MCU arc, but it was still tragic.
Thor Wasn’t Grieving Iron Man’s Death Because He Died In Battle
As MCU’s inaugural hero, seeing Iron Man die was the emotional gut punch that Avengers: Endgame needed to fully become the fitting end to the Infinity Saga. In a deleted scene, his fellow heroes paid tribute to the character, including Thor. He was also present during the viewing of Iron Man’s final message and the rest of his funeral service. However, the God Thunder wasn’t as distraught as his fellow Avengers, and it may have something to do with his Asgardian roots. Since Iron Man died in battle, Thor may have thought that it meant he was going to Valhalla, making it easy for him to accept his death.
There are stipulations to entering Valhalla, including being an Asgardian, which Iron Man wasn’t, rendering the whole idea moot. That being said, it doesn’t mean that this dissuaded Thor from finding comfort in the idea that the afterlife would be a place of peace for his fallen fellow Avenger. After everything he has lost in the last few years, he has likely found a way to cope with death, and this would have been the most plausible option considering its ties to his Asgardian heritage.
Thor’s Reaction To Iron Man Dying Will Make His Own Death Easier
For now, Thor’s MCU future is secured with Thor: Love and Thunder ending with the promise that he will return. There’s no urgent reason to wrap up his arc in the franchise anytime soon as Asgardians have significantly longer life expectancy than human beings. So, unless he dies in a battle, he could continue being an important player in the MCU moving forward. That being said, if he ever meets his end in combat, his reaction to Iron Man dying in Avengers: Endgame will make his own demise easier as it means he sees death as not a tragedy, but simply a passage to Valhalla.
