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Josh Ye

This article originally appeared on ABACUS
Tony Stark is dying.
“Food and water ran out four days ago… oxygen will run out tomorrow morning,” says the leader of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the first Avengers: Endgame trailer.
Without Iron Man, what are we going to do? That’s not just a question I’m asking. It’s bothering netizens on Chinese social media, too.
So they wrote to the Chinese space authority -- China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) -- to request a rescue mission.
To which… the CASC wrote back! While it didn’t promise anything, it said on Weibo, “The good news is Chang’e 4 has brought potatoes.”

That might seem underwhelming. But there’s more to this.
Firstly, it’s not a joke. The Chang’e 4 does have potatoes onboard, along with a few other things. But why potatoes?
Well, remember The Martian? Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) survives being stranded on Mars by farming potatoes. So it’s also answering one geeky call for help with another geek reference.
To be fair, China isn’t the only country pledging to help Iron Man. NASA beat CASC to the punch, with this hilarious reply to the pleas of fans.
Hey @Marvel, we heard about Tony Stark. As we know, the first thing you should do is listen in mission control for “@Avengers, we have a problem.” But if he can’t communicate, then we recommend ground teams use all resources to scan the skies for your missing man pic.twitter.com/zavXrsPljq
  — NASA (@NASA) December 9, 2018
Anyway, if CASC does lend a hand to Iron Man -- and they friggin’ better -- Stark wouldn’t be the first Hollywood hero to owe his life to China.
For starters, Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) was saved by China’s space station Tiangong in Gravity. (Though I guess the ghost of George Clooney kinda helped.)
Then two years later, the aforementioned Mark Watney was saved by the generosity of China’s space agency after it shared its rocket with NASA to get supplies to Watney. (Donald Glover’s clever maths would have sent many astronauts to their death without those supplies.)
Chinese netizens are generally happy with CASC’s response. But, as always, there are also the sardonic ones. One netizen wrote, “It’s fine. This is just a socialist reform for Iron Man, which prepares him for his final fight with Thanos.”
China loves Aquaman more than Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman

For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.



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Chinese people want their space agency to save Iron Man

CASC’s post is attached to a picture from the trailer, where Stark uses his Iron Man mask to record a message. (Picture: Weibo)

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Avengers: Endgame trailer begins with Tony Stark dying in space, and netizens want to help


Chinese government agencies aren't exactly known for their humor. But the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation had some fun with Chinese netizens this week, responding to calls to rescue a dying Tony Stark. The joke stems from an Avengers: Endgame trailer, in which Iron Man said he's running out of oxygen in space. 


Chinese people want their space agency to save Iron Man

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Avengers: Endgame trailer begins with Tony Stark dying in space, and netizens want to help

Avengers: Endgame trailer begins with Tony Stark dying in space, and netizens want to help