'Avengers: Endgame’ has a subtle nod to ‘Iron Man 3’ you probably missed

"Endgame" is finally in theaters and it's a giant love letter to the 21 Marvel Cinematic Universe films that have come before it.
Similar to previous MCU movies, "Endgame" features some great cameos. One of the easiest to overlook is that of a mystery character seen standing briefly by themselves near the film's end.

" Avengers: Endgame " is now in theaters and similar to previous Marvel movies, there are a lot of cameos and nods to previous MCU films.

But there's one very small cameo from "Iron Man 3" you may easily overlook.

This is your last chance to head back before spoilers.

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Near the very end of "Endgame," there's a giant gathering of characters together. The camera pans over groups of Marvel favorites slowly one by one.

One of the characters in particular, a young male, is seen standing off alone on his own. The moment sticks out. He's one of the few characters, other than Captain Marvel, to be by himself.

If you're an eagle-eyed fan, you know that's a grown-up Harley Keener (played by Ty Simpkins) from "Iron Man 3." If you stay through the very end of the film, you can see Keener's name in the very long list of rolling credits.INSIDER also confirmed Simpkins is in the movie.

The spoilers only get larger from here. Tread carefully.

Whos Harley Keener and why is he in Endgame?

harley iron man 3 Marvel

Tony Stark met Keener when he was stranded out in Tennessee in "Iron Man 3." His Iron Man suit was the worse for wear and Keener helped Tony work through some of his anxiety after the Battle of New York. It was one of the first times we really saw Stark spend an extended amount of time interacting with a child. After Tony got back on his feet, he sent Keener, a boy from a broken home, a bunch of new high-tech equipment.

Though we never saw Keener again in the MCU, it seems the two may have stayed in touch over the years. When we see Harley in "Endgame," he's among the intimate group of attendees at Stark's funeral. At the least, someone in the Marvel family reached out to him or Keener found a way to be there to pay respects to the man he met a decade earlier in 2013.

Some fans may not have been surprised to see the "Iron Man 3" actor. In 2017, IMDB tweeted out Simpkins was added to the cast list for "Endgame."

Even if you were expecting to see Keener make an appearance, it was still easy to miss his moment on screen.Keener doesn't have any speaking lines in the movie. INSIDER isn't sure whether or not any other moments with the "Jurassic World" actor may have been left on the cutting room floor. (This is a three-hour movie after all.)

But it was a sweet nod to his appearance in the franchise and it really felt like it helped bring Stark's story full circle to show the amount of lives he touched. If you know Keener's there while watching, it pulls at your heartstrings a little bit more.

Did you notice the small moment near the end of "Endgame"? You can follow along with our "Endgame" coverage here .

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