Way back in 2008, Marvel kicked off its cinematic universe with “Iron Man,” with Gwyneth Paltrow as one of its big names in her role as Tony Stark’s right-hand woman Pepper Potts. A decade–and 20 films in the series–later, that era of the MCU comes to an end with the Oscar winner Paltrow announcing that she’s finished with the character and the franchise in an interview with Variety.
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“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.” she said to Variety. “I was friends 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 the fans.”
Given that it’s Oscar season (will it never not be Oscar season?), the feature focuses largely on her award-winning work in “Shakespeare in Love.” Variety buries the lede about the Marvel revelation deep in the story and relegates Pepper to simply “Iron Man’s girlfriend.” A. She is his fiancée. (Keep up, Variety.) B. She is also CEO of Stark Industries, thank you very much. But I digress.
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Paltrow appeared in seven films as the character, with her own brief stint as a superhero in “Iron Man 3.” Those who aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the character can hold out a little hope: Paltrow didn’t rule out a Pepper cameo.
“I feel honored to be a part of something that people are so passionate about,” she said in a follow-up piece in Variety. “Of course, if they said, ‘Can you come back for a day?,’ I will always be there if they need me.”