10 Best Character Arcs In The MCU (So Far)

In the end, though, the MCU was really all about one person. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) set the franchise in motion back in 2008, and remained at its centre right up until his final sacrifice in Endgame. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, Stark was a staggering ego-maniac, a cocky and care-free inventor and businessman, and, in time, Earth's best defender.

His origins are brilliant. After being kidnapped by a terror cell who are using his weapons on innocents, Stark creates the first Iron Man suit and escapes his attackers, finally in touch with his humanity and realising he and his company has to change.

But he didn't just change on a business level. Rather, he perfected his makeshift suit and became Iron Man, fighting the evil in the world singlehandedly and becoming a bona fide hero with a new outlook on life.

When he joins the Avengers, he's even able to set aside his ego and let Captain America lead the team, and though he makes some mistakes (creating Ultron, trying to kill Cap and Bucky) along the way, his growth from arrogant billionaire to moral hero is unrivalled.

In the big moments, he steps up and saves countless lives, battles severe PTSD, loses many friends, learns heartbreaking truths about his past and comes face to face with himself. His final sacrifice, whilst harsh and sad, is nonetheless a perfect end to the perfect story, concluding the best character arc in the MCU.