No, Gwyneth Paltrow Doesn’t Know What’s Going With Pepper Potts In The MCU: “We Just Stopped Doing It Because Iron Man Died”

As the MCU hurtles further into Phase 5, a question echoes through the minds of Marvel fans (at least some of them): where’s Gwyneth Paltrow‘s Pepper Potts? But don’t ask the actress for answers. EW reports that Paltrow has no idea what Kevin Feige & co. plan to do with her character, telling an Instagram Q&A that she’s “just sitting here” not knowing if Potts has a future in the MCU at all.

READ MORE: Scarlett Johansson & Gwyneth Paltrow Deny Rumors Of Feud On ‘Iron Man 2’ Set, Johansson Says She’s “Done” With MCU: “Chapter Is Over”

The Q&A on the social media app earlier this week was open to any/all questions for the actress/businesswoman, but Paltrow responded to the inevitable question about her involvement in the MCU. After one fan wrote in, “I’m asking this every time answer the questions why did you stop with marvel and do you miss rdj” the actress gave a characteristic response. “We just stopped doing it because Iron Man died,” Paltrow said, alluding to the events at the end of 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.”  Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark sacrificed himself to save the universe in that film, and since then, his love interest Potts hasn’t been seen in any MCU billing.

That shouldn’t come as a surprise for Marvel fans at all, though. For one, Paltrow isn’t acting much these days. Since “Endgame,” her only film role has been a voice cameo in last year’s “She Said.” She’s also starred in just one series since MCU’s Phase 3 wrapped, too: Netflix‘s “The Politician.” Oh, and there’s also “The Goop Lab” on the streamer, too, revolving around the wellness company that takes up most of Paltrow’s time now.  

But on top of that, it’s not as if Pepper Potts was ever a major MCU character. And Paltrow has even gone on record before that she’s clueless as to when Potts shows up in Marvel projects anyway. In 2019, the Academy Award winner revealed she had no idea she was in scenes of 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” and admitted later that year that she hasn’t even seen the film. That’s not exactly what anyone would consider direct involvement in the MCU and its future.  

The most Paltrow has talked about Potts or the MCU since “Endgame” came on her “Goop” podcast, when fellow Marvel actress Scarlett Johansson joined her as a guest. On that episode, the pair clarified rumors of a supposed feud between them on the set of “Iron Man 2.” “You were so nice to me on that movie,” Johansson told Paltrow. “I was so petrified. You were so nice to me! You could’ve been awful. I was so out of my comfort zone on that movie. I’d never done anything like that before.”

So there you have it: Gwyneth Paltrow has no idea what’s going on with Pepper Potts in the MCU. And as far as the actress is concerned, that’s a Marvel Studios problem, not hers. But is anyone really surprised by this? It’s not like Potts was ever a fan favorite, and with RDJ long gone from the MCU, why should his love interest show up to reprise her role? Who knows, maybe next year’s “Thunderbolts” or some other Phase 5 project will see Paltrow make a big return that supposedly some of you Marvel fans are keen on.