'Avengers 4' Fan Art Envisions Heartbreaking Goodbye for Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man

Many fans are excited to find out how Marvel's superheroes will finally defeat Thanos when Avengers 4 premieres next year, but there's still a growing fear that not everyone will make it out alive.

The writing seems to be on the wall that the big three of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor might make the ultimate sacrifice to defeat Thanos, giving way to a new era in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And one fan has been imagining these tragic endings with some stunning fan art, capturing some heart-wrenching farewells.

Artist BossLogic's latest piece focuses on Tony Stark himself — or, rather, a hologram of the futurist as he says goodbye to Pepper Potts. But the kicker that really tugs at the heartstrings is the fact that Pepper is pregnant, practically ready to give birth.

Now, the pregnancy is a major step for Tony and Pepper to make, especially since they were only just engaged as of Avengers: Infinity War. But there's a lot of momentum behind the idea that there will be a time jump in Avengers 4, lending some credence to the possibility of Pepper and Tony having a child.

In fact, Pepper Potts actress Gwyneth Paltrow might have let slip a major spoiler in a very surprising source; the official magazine for Avengers: Infinity War.

"Pepper and Tony have had a real long journey together," Paltrow said. "She obviously starts as his dutiful assistant, and then the relationship evolves, and now this decade later they're married, and they have a child. Their relationship has evolved in all of the ways that great romances evolve."

But that might not be enough to keep Robert Downey Jr. around beyond Avengers 4, as the actor has been intimating that it might be time to exit the Marvel Cinematic Universe now that it's the top franchise in cinemas.

"It's like with a team if you're going to hang up your jersey, you want to make sure the team is in good shape and they can still compete at a high level," Downey previously told ABC News, "because ultimately that's what made the whole thing worth doing anyways."

We'll see if Iron Man survives the fight with Thanos and gets to enjoy his future when Avengers 4 premieres in theaters on May 3, 2019.

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