Gwyneth Paltrow is exiting the MCU after Avengers: Endgame

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Come AVENGERS: ENDGAME we may be saying goodbye to many of our favorite heroes, either as some die or the actors simply move on after years of world saving. While some of the top-tier heroes are leaving we will also be saying goodbye to some of the supporting players, no doubt, and Gwyneth Paltrow, an actress who has been with the series since the very beginning has said she won’t be returning for any major appearances after this latest Avengers outing.

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Paltrow was speaking about her future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (playing Pepper Potts in the IRON MAN series) as part of Variety’s big coverage on the actress as she celebrates 20 years since winning an Oscar for her work in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. She said that while she looks back fondly on her time in the MCU, the time has come for her to step away from the superhero realm.

“I mean, I’m a bit old to be in a suit and all that at this point. I feel very lucky that I did it, because I actually got talked into it. I was friend with [‘Iron Man’ director] Jon Favreau. It was such a wonderful experience making the first ‘Iron Man’ and then to watch how important it has become to fans.”

However, right after saying this she did say she’s open to reprising the character for the sake of a brief cameo or flashback, saying, “Of course, if they said, ‘Can you come back for a day?,’ I will always be there if they need me.”

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Paltrow has been focusing less on acting recently and more on her company, Goop (of which she is CEO), which specializes in, I assume, skin care creams made from some sort of dirt farmed from the bottom of the Mariana Trench. But she has been with the MCU since their very first movie, IRON MAN, playing Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) love interest, and eventually, CEO of Stark Industries, even getting to wear the suit for a bit in IRON MAN 3. Aside from the major roles she seems to be retiring from, she has made short appearances in movie’s like SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING and AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, with a role of unknown size in April’s AVENGERS: ENDGAME.

ENDGAME should also mark the end of Downey's tenure as Stark/Iron Man, and he officially will be done come the end of ENDGAME then it stands to reason Paltrow would be gone too. The two are so linked and have been from the get-go, that it seems impossible to have Stark without Pepper, and vice versa. While other actors like Chris Evans have openly talked about stepping away from the franchise after this next movie, Paltrow leaving makes this passing of era feel even bigger as recurring characters big and small say goodbye — for the most part. 

AVENGERS: ENDGAME is in theaters April 26.