Avengers 4: Gwyneth Paltrow Confirms That War Machine Will Survive Infinity War

Excitement is running high for Avengers: Infinity War, and one question is being asked more than any other: Who will survive? Every fan has their own theory about who will live and who will die, but little by little, more and more evidence is coming to light. Every time that we learn a character is set to appear in the as-yet-mysteriously-untitled Avengers 4, we can safely say that they'll survive the events of Infinity War first.

With that in mind, Gwyneth Paltrow has just confirmed that she's been filming scenes with both Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle for Avengers 4. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about her time on set, Paltrow reflected:

"I went to Atlanta to do Avengers 4, so I’m in and out for that, and it’s weird to go back and forth. We’re growing fast, and balls are dropping all the time. But honestly, I was on set and thought, ‘You sit here for two hours sipping tea, Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle are making me laugh hysterically — why the hell did I give this up?'"

It's Good to See Paltrow Return

Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts vanished from the #MCU after her contracted expired back in 2013. That left an awkward and uncomfortable Pepper-shaped hole in the MCU, not least because Pepper had become such an important part of Iron Man's life over the course of the Iron Man trilogy. Joss Whedon dropped in an offhand reference to the character in Age of Ultron, revealing that she was jet-setting around the world, but by the time of Captain America: Civil War, audiences had the distinct impression that Marvel was writing Pepper out completely. Dialogue revealed that Tony and Pepper were on a break, and as recently as January this year, Paltrow openly admitted that she had no idea if Marvel would ever call on her again.

Then came the surprise twist of Spider-Man: Homecoming, which essentially saw Marvel change direction. Not only did Paltrow make an appearance in the film, it also ended with Tony making an impromptu proposal! Although the film didn't show us whether or not Pepper said yes (the circumstances were hardly romantic), set photos for Infinity War have shown Paltrow wearing an engagement ring while playing the character, so we can safely assume that she said yes. Homecoming set Paltrow up to play an even more important part in the future of the MCU, and it's great to hear that she's returning for both Infinity War and Avengers 4.

It's also exciting to see Don Cheadle confirmed for Avengers 4, too. War Machine became an Avenger in Age of Ultron, but was sadly crippled during Captain America: Civil War. That said, the hero hasn't been written out of the team by any measure; as Cheadle explained:

"When you have somebody like Tony, who is a master of tech and can create things that can get you over the hump, then you can walk again."

Over in the comics, Cheadle's character became increasingly cybernetic, even gaining the ability to interface his mind with sophisticated computers. It looks as though the MCU is taking a step in this direction, with Rhodey becoming a cyborg. Given that some time passes between Civil War and Infinity War (it's unclear how much, as the timeline is in something of a state of flux thanks to Homecoming), we can safely assume that War Machine will be back in action by the time that Thanos invades. Even better, he's now confirmed to survive that initial invasion, and we can safely expect Rhodey to return in Avengers 4.

Avengers 4 remains the most mysterious Marvel film of them all. It's clearly going to continue the cosmic plot of previous instalments as Josh Brolin will reprise his role as Thanos. Meanwhile, there are also substantial Earth-bound plots, including what seems to be an important arc set in Japan. But the greatest mystery of all is simply the question of who will survive to appear Avengers 4. Fortunately, it looks as though both Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle are safe!