Robert Downey Jr. says Tony Stark's 'Endgame' suit was only meant for one last mission

• Warning: Spoilers ahead if you didn't watch "Avengers: Endgame."
• Robert Downey Jr. said Tony Stark's last Iron Man suit in "Avengers: Endgame" wasn't built for his character to survive the team's final mission.
• "The last one is not designed to be able to do its job and have you make it past it," the actor said in a new episode of "Off Camera with Sam Jones." "So that's the great, you know, Joseph Campbell mythology of, like, ultimately you go from refusing the call and being a serendipitous hero and by the end you're willing to give the ultimate sacrifice, your life, despite your family and your groundedness and your desire to not want to do that, so that that community can thrive."
• In the movie, Tony used the power of the six Infinity Stones to snap away Thanos and his army. Because of the power of the stones, he didn't survive.
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Robert Downey Jr. said Tony Stark's final Iron Man suit in "Avengers: Endgame" wasn't built to outlast the team's big mission.

During a new episode of "Off Camera with Sam Jones," the 54-year-old actor said of his Marvel character's arc, "It's a complete 180."

He continued: "It started off with someone who's absolutely self-centered, has more money than they could ever spend, is spiritually dead, and has no idea that they're about to go through a crucible that is going to put them in a position to be of service to their community."

Downey's superhero, who once described himself as a "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008's "Iron Man."

Since then, he's led several films in the "Avengers" franchise. His last appearance as Tony was in "Avengers: Endgame," in which his character got the Infinity Stones, wielded his own gauntlet, and used it to snap away Thanos and his army. The power of the six stones was too much for Tony to handle, and he died shortly after.

Read more: Tom Holland says making 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' without Robert Downey Jr. was 'emotional'

The actor told Jones that Tony's death was likely because of his "Endgame" suit's shortcomings.

"The last suit he has isn't even designed for him to be able to survive using it," Downey said. "The first suit is all about 'Will this get me and my ego and my precious physical frame out of this cave I'm in and into the desert, where maybe the cavalry can come get me and bring me back to my stupid life?'"

He added: "The last one is not designed to be able to do its job and have you make it past it. So that's the great, you know, Joseph Campbell mythology of, like, ultimately you go from refusing the call and being a serendipitous hero and by the end you're willing to give the ultimate sacrifice, your life, despite your family and your groundedness and your desire to not want to do that, so that that community can thrive."

Fans who caught wind of Downey's comments reacted to the heartbreaking revelation on Twitter.

In response to some people who were confused by what the actor meant about the "Endgame" suit's capabilities, fans offered a few explanations. Many said they thought Tony's last outfit was meant to protect everyone around him, rather than himself.

In "Endgame," Tony was reluctant to join the Avengers on their "time heist." He told Steve Rogers/Captain America that his priority was to get back the people they lost and maintain the family he'd built (Pepper Potts and their daughter, Morgan).

"Maybe not die trying would be nice," Tony told Steve.

The Avengers agreed before embarking on their mission that they'd do "whatever it takes." After the team traveled back in time and got the Infinity Stones, Bruce Banner/Hulk volunteered to wield the gauntlet to bring back the people who were snapped in "Infinity War."

Before snapping his fingers, Bruce explained that it had to be him because a normal human couldn't cope with the power of the stones. Since Bruce had been exposed to gamma radiation, he felt he was equipped to survive the large surge of power.

Toward the end of the film, Tony realized that the team was losing despite its best efforts. Doctor Strange reminded Tony that there was only one outcome in which the Avengers were victorious, and that's when Tony sacrificed himself.

Watch part of Downey's "Off Camera" interview in the video below:

• Read more about Robert Downey Jr.:
• Tom Holland thought his friendship with Robert Downey Jr. was over after he accidentally hung up on his 'Avengers' costar
• Watch Robert Downey Jr. say goodbye to the 'Endgame' crew as he wraps 10 years of playing Iron Man
• Robert Downey Jr. shared behind-the-scenes photos from a devastating 'Avengers: Endgame' moment, and it'll hit you right in the feels

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Watch: 31 details you might have missed in 'Avengers: Endgame'

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