Who was not at Tony Stark's funeral?

Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, was a pivotal figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). He was one of the founding members of the Avengers and sacrificed his life to defeat Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. After his death, a funeral was held for Tony that was attended by many important MCU characters.

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Opening Questions

However, not every character who knew Tony or interacted with him attended the funeral. This raises some questions:

Who were some of the major MCU characters that were absent from Tony’s funeral?
What were the likely reasons they did not attend?
Who do fans think should have been at the funeral that wasn’t?

Looking at who was missing from Tony’s funeral can provide insight into characters’ relationships with him and the circumstances surrounding his death. Examining the key absent figures sheds light on the bigger picture in the MCU.

Absent Avengers

Most of the original Avengers team members were present at Tony’s funeral including Captain America, Black Widow, Hulk, Hawkeye, War Machine, and more. However, there were a few notable Avengers who did not appear:

Thor – Thor was off-world during Tony’s death and funeral. He had left Earth at the end of Avengers: Endgame to join the Guardians of the Galaxy. As a fellow founding Avenger, his absence was surprising.

Ant-Man – Scott Lang helped during the big fight against Thanos but did not show up for Tony’s funeral. Ant-Man was likely busy with his own family including Hope and Cassie.
Wasp – Like Ant-Man, Hope van Dyne was not present. She likely stayed behind with Scott Lang and his family.

Missing Allies

In addition to the missing Avengers, some of Tony’s other allies in the MCU were not at his funeral either:

Nick Fury – The former SHIELD director who recruited Tony in the Avengers was absent. He may have been busy handling post-war aftermath.
Maria Hill – Fury’s right-hand woman and SHIELD agent was also not present at the funeral.
Sharon Carter – Peggy Carter’s niece had fought alongside the Avengers but did not appear to pay respects to Tony.

Happy Hogan – Tony’s close friend and bodyguard Happy Hogan surprisingly did not attend the funeral.

Absent Heroes

Tony crossed paths with many different heroes over the years that became his allies. Some of these heroes that did not attend his funeral include:

Dr. Strange – The sorcerer helped Tony defeat Thanos but did not appear at his funeral.

Captain Marvel – Despite coming to Tony’s aid against Thanos, Carol Danvers did not attend.
Pepper Potts – Tony’s wife Pepper was also absent from his funeral for unclear reasons.
Shuri – T’Challa’s genius sister Shuri assisted the Avengers but was not present to mourn Tony.

Valkyrie – The Asgardian warrior helped in the fight against Thanos but did not appear afterwards.

Villains and Antiheroes

Given his tumultuous past, there were also many former villains and antiheroes that Tony had encountered who understandably did not attend:

Loki – Thor’s adopted brother opposed the Avengers many times and had no ties to Tony.

Justin Hammer – Tony’s business rival was not present.
General Ross – The military officer who hounded the Hulk maintained an adversarial relationship with Tony.
Ultron – The evil A.I. created by Tony certainly was not invited to his funeral.

The Defenders

While the Netflix Marvel shows are considered soft-canon, the heroes of those series were also not present:

Daredevil – Matt Murdock never crossed paths with Tony on-screen.
Jessica Jones – The private investigator only operated in New York City.

Luke Cage – Harlem’s bulletproof hero did not know Tony.
Iron Fist – Danny Rand and Tony never teamed up.

Inhumans

Tony did assist the Inhuman population emerging around the world. However, none of the major Inhumans appeared at his funeral:

Black Bolt – The ruler of Attilan was not present.
Medusa – Black Bolt’s partner and Queen of the Inhumans did not attend.
Crystal – Medusa’s sister Crystal was absent as well.

Maximus – Black Bolt’s sinister brother certainly would not be welcomed.

Cosmic MCU Characters

Tony’s impact was felt across the cosmos, but many cosmic MCU characters did not come to Earth for his funeral:

The Collector – The ancient cosmic being who sought the Infinity Stones.

Grandmaster – The flamboyant Elder of the Universe.
Ego – Star-Lord’s divine father and living planet.
Mantis – The Guardians of the Galaxy’s empath teammate.

TV Characters

The Marvel TV universe was also largely absent from Tony’s funeral:

Quake – The Inhuman S.H.I.E.L.D. agent never interacted with Tony.
Ghost Rider – Robbie Reyes was not present to mourn Tony.

The Runaways – The teen heroes led by Nico Minoru did not appear.
Cloak and Dagger – The duo with light and dark powers were absent.

Why They Were Absent

There are a few likely reasons why all these characters did not appear at Tony’s funeral:

Scheduling conflicts for the actors was a major practical reason.
Some characters were omitted by the writers for clearer focus on core Avengers.
Many characters simply did not have a close enough connection to Tony.

Cosmic and TV characters exist in separate story universes from the films.
Budget constraints prevented featuring every possible character.

Who Fans Wanted to See

While the funeral scene was already packed with characters, some fans felt a few faces were noticeably missed:

Aunt May – Peter Parker’s aunt who knew Tony well.
Korg & Miek – Thor’s fun-loving Kronan and Sakaaran allies.
Nakia – T’Challa’s partner who fought in the battle.

Hank Pym – The original Ant-Man and Tony’s father figure.

Their appearances would have brought more emotional weight and connections to Tony’s death for fans. But likely could not fit them into an already crowded scene.

Key Takeaways

To summarize the key points:

Many Avengers, allies, heroes, villains, and cosmic characters were absent from Tony Stark’s MCU funeral.
Scheduling, writing focus, lack of connections, and budget constraints explain their absences.
Notable missing figures fans wanted to see included Aunt May, Korg, and Hank Pym.

The funeral focused on Tony’s core character relationships.
Examining who was missing provides insights into the wider MCU cast dynamics.

Tony had a huge impact across the MCU, but could not have every single character attend his funeral. The scene focused on those closest to Tony while inevitably missing others for practical filmmaking reasons.

Conclusion

Tony Stark’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame was a somber celebration of his life and heroism. Many important MCU figures attended to pay their respects. However, a number of characters were notably absent for reasons like scheduling, lack of close relationships with Tony, and separate universes.

Fans may have wanted to see characters like Thor or Aunt May attend. But the funeral scene delivered an emotional core focused on Tony’s closest connections. The key absent figures provide insights into the wider net Tony cast across the MCU and how different characters related to him. While not every hero could be present, the funeral honored Tony through the eyes of those who knew him best.