Avengers: Age Of Ultron - 10 Key Characters Who Could Die

3. Iron Man

Why He Could Die: Two words - shock value. Having been criticised for not yet having killed off any major characters, what better way to put those demons to bed than by killing off the flagship character of the Marvel Cinematic Universe unexpectedly? In this movie, Tony Stark has been strongly predicted to be the man responsible for Ultron's creation, so what better way for him to make amends for that by sacrificing himself to save the day again (of course, he did so in the first Avengers movie, but didn't end up dying)? Robert Downey Jr. is 49 years old. By the time the next Avengers movie comes around in 2017 (which he is contracted to), he will be 52 - that's hardly the age of a sprightly superhero. He could quite easily appear in flashback or video footage in that movie, if he is obligated to appear in it, and his death in this one would certainly stop the whole "Marvel don't have the guts to kill major characters off" thing. Why He Could Live: Although Marvel have indeed been criticised for their inability to kill off major characters, killing Iron Man could be overkill when it comes to proving a point. Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark is arguably the reason the Marvel Cinematic Universe is so popular. He kicked things off as the star of the first Iron Man movie - the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise - and has gone on to become the most popular live action superhero of all time. Heck, he's one of the most popular characters in all of modern cinema. Surely Marvel want him to honour his contract to the maximum and get as much as they can out of him - and that will include him appearing in a starring role in the third Avengers movie. Likeliehood: 4/10. As ludicrous as it may sound, Iron Man's death in Age of Ultron is by no means out of the question. There's more chance he'll live, certainly, but he's undoubtedly at risk.