Okay can I talk about this for a sec? No? Tough, because I’m gonna go ahead and do it anyway. Because this little exchange was so indicative of their relationship that I wanted to die.
We already know that without the armor, Tony sees himself as nothing. “Iron Man yes, Tony Stark not recommended”, right? There’s more than a touch of bitterness when he throws that exchange back at Coulson in his first scene. We know about his issues with his father, we know about his drinking, we know that he watched a man sacrifice his life in a cave in the Middle East so that he, Tony, could live.
Steve doesn’t. And yet almost by accident, he finds Tony’s weak spot, sticks in a knife, and twists. Steve’s trying to shame him, trying to hold Tony accountable for actions that he, as a soldier, sees as reckless and irrresponsible— he’s already furious with Tony for needling Banner, which potentially endangered the lives of everyone on the ship (He can’t know, of course, that Tony recognises something in Banner, a control on his inner demons that he can only envy; Tony knows what it’s like to have a monster inside of him that he can barely contain) and Tony’s devil-may-care attitude is the final straw. Steve sees right through Tony in a way few people do; but not deep enough, no, because if he could fathom just how deep Tony’s scars go (and if he wasn’t being influenced by Loki’s sceptre, just behind him) he wouldn’t have said those things.
Because hey, Steve is lashing out here. You saw him in the gym; all that coiled rage, the flashbacks, the way he destroyed that punching bag. Steve’s in as much pain as Tony right now. Not that anyone’s interested. They just want him to put on the suit and be glad they won the war. Tony’s comments earlier about Steve being “not of use” made their mark. Steve already feels outdated and useless. Tony represents everything Steve doesn’t understand about the new century, everything he hates; he’s an unreliable jumble of technology, ego and pop culture references Steve doesn’t understand. Oh, and Tony used to make weapons. Big weapons. How d’you think Steve felt when someone filled him in on the advances in warfare that happened while he was asleep?
And Tony? He’s having his insecurities thrown back at him by a living legend, by the man his father admired above all others; a man Howard Stark spent years digging through the ice for when he should have been caring for his son. Steve is talking, but I’m pretty sure Tony’s hearing his father.
“The only thing you fight for is yourself. You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play.”
Half of that sentence is true. Tony does fight for himself; he fights to redeem himself every day, not because of the body count his weapons have amassed (Natasha’s not the only one with red in her ledger) but because he doesn’t see himself as worthy of anything. Of the suit, of the few friends he has, of his money, of his life. He fights every day to prove to himself that he deserves to exist. And that is why he would make the sacrifice play. In a heartbeat. If he doesn’t deserve to be here, it’s only right he die for someone who does. And Steve just told him “yeah, you’re right, you don’t deserve to be here. I know guys worth ten of you, and they’re dead, and you’re alive.”
It’s awful, really, how much these two men are capable of hurting each other.
And yet. Underneath the barbs and the anger and the hurt, this exchange shows exactly why they work so well together.
“…to lay down on the wire and let the other guy crawl over you.”
“I think I would just cut the wire.”
“Always a way out.”
That. That right there. Tony is a master at thinking on his feet, at improvisation, at taking risks that tend to pay off. He’s brilliant, but volatile. And Steve is strategic, methodical, noble almost to a fault. Tony could come up with solutions Steve would never even dream of, and vice versa; when Tony spends time hacking into SHIELD’s servers, Steve investigates on foot. They are exact opposites, in personality and skill, and that’s why they’re the unofficial leaders of the Avengers. The differences that drive them apart in this scene are what’s going to make them unstoppable later on. Because they’re not half as good at anything as when they’re doing it next to each other.
(Source: hemsworthss)
I just went through my Avengers picture ref folder and I JUST REALIZED THEY COMPLETELY CUT OUT THE SCENES WHERE STEVE IS DRESSED LIKE THIS.
THOSE FUCKERS. I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.
DVD RELEASE DATES, I NEED THEM
I NEED THOSE SOLO CAP SCENES
Checking Clark Gregg’s IMDB…
PARDON ME?!?!?!!?!?!!!!?!?! I KNOW I SHOUDN’T BELIEVE ANYTHING ON IMDB BUT STILL
NO ONE STAYS DEAD EXCEPT FOR UNCLE BEN.
THERE. IS. HOPE.
i’m sorry but
even just watching the movie i understood coulson was still alive
with the whole “they needed a push” thing and nick fury using the cards from his locker
but like
in case that wasn’t actually as clear to the rest of the world as it was to me o.o;
CraveOnline:Joss Whedon is also a master of killing off beloved characters. I’m actually a little worried about you.
Clark Gregg:Yeah, I’ve read this! I’ve read this. I’m flattered that people care, but I wish they would stop saying this because they’re going to put it in somebody’s mind! I’m talking to them about doing Iron Man 3 right now, and somebody’s going “Maybe Agent Coulson should die,” and I’m like, “Hey, hey,hey! This is the best job I’ve ever had! Stop talking about killing Agent Coulson off.”
CraveOnline:(Laughs) – Fair enough.
Clark Gregg: No, no, no. I talked to Joss Whedon early on. I said “Hey, why is everyone saying this?” And he said, “Yeah, I’ve done that before. Don’t worry. You’re safe.”
just
putting that out there
IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE AVENGERS(ESPECIALLY IN THE US)YET, THEN DON’T SPOIL YOURSELF BY WATCHING THIS. HOWEVER, IF YOU HAVE AND WANT TO RELIVE THE “MAGIC” OR JUST DON’T CARE, THEN BE MY GUEST!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, ENJOY! ^_^
LESS SHAKIER VERSION but yeah.
SOBBING AT THE FRIENDSHIP FEELS
REBLOGGING FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T SEEN IT BECAUSE APPARENTLY IT ISN’T IN ALL THE CREDITS.
AAAH BLESS YOUR COW
I literally started crying in the cinema at this because seriously fuck you, Steve. There are so many people going ~SEXUAL TENSION~. But no. No. This is just cruel. And tony’s comebacks are in no way even close to being as mean; for tony they’re rather weak and stumbly. Because do you see his face there? Steve just fucking ripped him to shreds. And i’m crying now; this just breaks my heart. You’ve seen the footage, Steve? Really? Have you really? You’ve seen him as he watched kids being killed by his own weapons? You’ve seen him being tortured? You’ve seen the only person who believed in him as a person die in front of him? Do you actually get that there is a fucking hole in his chest? That the fact that he’s even alive is a fucking miracle like a hundred times over. One which he’s clawed into existence with his own hands and genius. You’ve seen the closest person he had to a father literally rip his heart from his chest? You’ve seen how he then had to kill that closest person he had to a father? You’ve seen how he was dying all alone and yet STILL attempted to save everyone around him? WITHOUT HIS SUIT Oh yeah you’ve seen the fucking footage haven’t you? I don’t think you get, Steve how much you can’t take those words back. Years from now they’re still going to be rattling around in tony’s head echoing every crappy thought he’s ever had about himself. It just makes me so mad. I love you Steve, but nothing justifies what you said to him. Nothing.
(Source: hemsworthss)
