Gwyneth Paltrow is making a comeback as Pepper Potts in the untitled Avengers 4. But it looks as though her role may be a little bigger than we expected.
Paltrow's character seemed to disappear from the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Iron Man 3. When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) said in Captain America: Civil War that he and Pepper had broken up, fans figured that they’d seen the last of her. That theory was proved wrong when she popped up in Spider-Man: Homecoming and revealed that they were once again a couple.
Apparently, we were going to see more of Pepper in the MCU. This was quickly confirmed as photos of Paltrow on the Avengers 4 set showed up online. Up until then, Pepper had been a relatively minor character in the MCU, and we didn’t expect that to change in the upcoming Russo Brothers movie.
But Paltrow’s recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert indicated that her role in Avengers 4 may be more substantial than a mere cameo. Along with comments about her personal life and her lifestyle Brand Goop, she confirmed that she was going to appear in “the next Avengers”. Avengers: Infinity War is really the next installment for the Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but it’s more likely that Paltrow was referring to the sequel. Check out this segment from the conversation:
Colbert: Do you still have powers? Can you still do the flame thing with your hand?
Paltrow: You know, to be totally honest, I’m unclear. Because it’s so secretive, and it’s all on green screen, and I’m not exactly sure. And they don’t let me say anything.
Colbert: Is there any chance…At any point when you were working on the movie, did you thrust your hand toward someone wearing a blue suit with ping pong balls on it?
Paltrow: Yes.
Colbert: Then you still have powers. It's official.
In December 2017, the 45-year-old actress shared and deleted a video on Instagram that showed her in a motion-capture suit on the Avengers 4 set. That fueled speculation that either she still had her Extremis Powers from Iron Man 3 or she would appear in the Iron Man suit.
- The Colbert interview didn't reveal which option it would be, but it almost has to be one or the other. It also seemed to indicate that Paltrow's role in the May 3, 2019 release will be an important one.
