AN: So this little idea just kept going through my head after seeing Endgame. WARNING, MASIVE ENDAME SPOILERS AHEAD. Basically, it's just what I imagined Steve might say if he were asked to give a speech at Tony's funeral.
You Think You Know A Guy
When I first met Tony, I thought I had had him sussed. I thought that he really was the arrogant, shallow, cocksure genius that everyone made him out to be. And on some levels, he was. I know you're not meant to speak ill of the dead, but I'd be lying if I said he was an easy man to get along with, as the ups and downs of my own relationship with him go to show. However, the thing about Tony was that he may have been all those things, but he was also so much more. He was a loving father, a loyal friend and he was always willing to put his life on the line to do what he thought was right. In short, he was flawed but he was, without a doubt, a hero, both in the suit and outside of it. And that heroism is why we're here today; because he made the final sacrifice so that all of us could have a chance.
I can still clearly remember when Tony and I first met because rarely have I said so many things in one go that I later wished I could take back. I told him that he wasn't the kind of guy to lay down on the wire, to let the other guy crawl over him. I told him he was 'just' a big man in a suit of armour. A nuke and a wormhole later, I realised that I was wrong. As the years continued, I realised just how wrong I had been and, to be honest, part of me is surprised that I haven't had to give this speech before now what with Tony's complete and utter disregard for his own personal safety. However, the larger part of me is standing here, giving this speech, unable to believe that he is actually gone; that this time he found no way to cut the wire.
It seems right to take this opportunity to reflect on the things that Tony achieved in his life. There are the obvious things we all know; the fortune, the contributions to science and, to put it bluntly, our continued existence. But there's also the other things, the little things he did for each of us that showed the extent to which he cared and the lengths to which he'd go to keep his friends safe. I know that everyone here will be able to think of at least one example. For me, the first one was just after the battle of New York where Tony let myself and the rest of the Avengers stay in his tower and he took the time amid all the press conferences and the pressure of rebuilding to completely redesign and thoroughly improve the Captain America suit so, and I quote, it was 'less like something someone with a lycra fetish would wear'. And that was just the first of many; the stories could go on.
I chose that story because, to me, it sums Tony up. He was a man who cared, who would work himself to the bone to protect people and who refused to delegate to others what he thought he could do better himself. But he also didn't want anyone to know he cared. Hence the prickly exterior and the always ready sarcastic comment. He was all too willing to play the part that the world had set for him, so much so that you could forget about the more, the man behind the mask. But then, without fail, he would do something that reminded you that the arrogance and the charm were just as much an armour as Iron Man itself and that the man underneath it all was worth ten of any other guy.
And I think that was the essence of Tony. He was always a surprise and always innovating. He had the endless desire to change, to improve, to make the future better than the present. And I think that's what he would want us to do. To keep looking forward and to build upon the chance he's given to all of us because now Tony's not here anymore, so we've all got to step up, take up the mantle and try to fill the gap he's left behind. We've all got to do that little bit more to keep each other safe and we've got to hold onto his belief that no matter how bad things seem to get, no matter if the chips are down, we can and we will pull through.