Gwyneth Paltrow Announces Retirement from MCU After 'Avengers: Endgame'

With as big a place as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, actors come and go all the time. But the beloved character of Pepper Potts will now be retiring, as actress Gwyneth Paltrow is stepping away from the role after Avengers: Endgame.

Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's girlfriend and assistant, was one of the first leading females characters that made an appearance in the first couple of Marvel movies, and she paved the way for strong females now coming to the universe, such as Captain Marvel.

"I mean, I’m a bit old to be in a suit and all that at this point," Paltrow told Variety. "I feel very lucky that I did it, because I actually got talked into it. I was friend with [‘Iron Man’ director] Jon Favreau. It was such a wonderful experience making the first ‘Iron Man’ and then to watch how important it has become to fans."

Paltrow said she doesn't see herself making any sequels, but does see the possibility of making a cameo in future movies.

"I feel honored to be a part of something that people are so passionate about," she said. "Of course, if they said, ‘Can you come back for a day?,’ I will always be there if they need me."

Paltrow also spoke about the 20th anniversary of winning Best Actress at the Oscars for her role in Shakespeare in Love, and how she thinks the film industry has changed since then.

“I loved ‘Black Panther.’ I thought it was a really powerful movie and culturally very important. So that’s great that it was nominated. I mean that’s so cool," she shared.

Thank you, Gwyneth Paltrow, for giving us a little girl power in the form of Pepper Potts. The real questions now is, what will Tony do without you?