James Cameron has officially welcomed Iron Man into the Na’vi after Avengers: Endgame reclaimed the title of highest-grossing movie of all time, knocking Avatar back into second place. Rather than sending a squad of blue aliens after Marvel Studios, Cameron is taking the high road with some very special crossover artwork.
Cameron shared an image featuring Iron Man surrounded by the Na’vi, including Jake Sully and Neytiri, with the message, “You are one of the people.” He also congratulated Marvel and the team behind Avengers: Endgame: Encore for bringing audiences back to movie theaters.
That’s a pretty classy response from the man whose own science-fiction epic just lost its place at the top of the box-office. There are no angry press releases, no accusations of superhero shenanigans, and no suggestion that Marvel should return the money. Just a warm welcome for a billionaire in a metal suit who probably wouldn’t last five minutes trying to explain his carbon footprint to the Na’vi.
The box-office numbers are almost as ridiculous as the crossover. Following its Encore theatrical re-release, Avengers: Endgame has reached an estimated $2.9255 billion worldwide, edging past Avatar and its $2.9237 billion total. That’s a difference of roughly $1.8 million, which is pocket change for these two cinematic monsters but enough to change the all-time rankings.
This isn’t the first time the two films have traded places. Avengers: Endgame originally overtook Avatar in 2019, after the Marvel blockbuster brought the Infinity Saga to its enormous conclusion. Then Avatar returned to theaters in 2021, reclaimed the record, and spent the following years sitting comfortably on its blue throne. Now Marvel has come back for another round, and apparently all it took was another trip to the multiplex.
Cameron’s artwork also has a timely connection to the next Avatar movie. The phrase “You are one of the people” comes from Avatar: Fire and Ash, where Miles Socorro, the human known as Spider, is welcomed as Na’vi. Applying that sentiment to Tony Stark is a fun bit of crossover business, even if the Avengers’ resident genius would probably want to install a few upgrades before moving to Pandora.
Cameron has been around this particular block before. The filmmaker has spent decades making movies that turn theatrical releases into major events, from Titanic to Avatar. Losing the record to Endgame again is hardly the end of his box-office story, especially with more Avatar films on the way and the original movie’s 20th anniversary approaching in 2029.
For now, Marvel gets to enjoy the bragging rights. Avengers: Endgame: Encore has returned the studio to the top of the worldwide box-office chart, and Cameron has responded by congratulating the people responsible instead of acting like somebody just stole his favorite unobtanium mine.
