3 ways Marvel can still bring back Iron Man without undoing the events of Avengers: Endgame
In 2019, Marvel's Avengers: Endgame, gave fans across the world one of the biggest shocks of the franchise with the death of Iron Man. Fighting against the Infinity-stone wielder that was Thanos, the Avengers saw a lot of destruction while suffering damage to themselves too.
The biggest of these was the loss of Tony Stark’s life, which happened in a characteristically glamorous fashion. As Thanos snapped his fingers, he realized that he no longer wielded the all-powerful, multi-colored Infinity stones. Instead, it was Stark’s final snap that stood and led to the demise of the saga’s big villain. Of course, it happened at the expense of Stark’s life, which meant that it was, for the most part, Robert Downey Jr.’s last live appearance in the Avengers saga.
However, the MCU has taught fans to never say never. Downey Jr., despite having forayed into an altogether different genre since his Marvel appearances, might as well feature in a Marvel movie in the future. This article will take a look at how that can potentially happen with respect to the character of Iron Man and not the actor.
How Iron Man can potentially return to the MCU
1) Get a replacement
Tom Cruise might be the ideal Iron Man replacement for Robert Downey Jr.. However, fans have seen several Marvel superheroes get alternate versions of their characters in various narratives. Hence, while Tom Cruise might be one of the most regular names brought up for the character, Downey Jr., any other actor can easily be given the role as well.
Effectively, probably the most straightforward method would be to simply replace Downey Jr. with another actor as Iron Man. This can in itself happen in multiple ways. However, as far as the logistics are concerned, replacing Robert Downey Jr. will automatically require a big name to fill his shoes.
The Loki TV series saw a number of Loki versions, each more unique and humorous than the previous one. Captain America has seen a couple of variants of his, while the What If? Series also saw variants of a range of characters make their way to the smaller screen.
While some variants are bound to eventually make their way to the movies, doing so with Iron Man will require the choosing of a replacement.
2) The Loki method
Loki survived what happened in the first Avenger movie as a version of him before his eventual demise was arrested by the Time Variance Authority. He then underwent a redemption arc that ultimately saw him become the gatekeeper of everything that goes down in the MCU.
Such a solution is also a possibility for Iron Man. However, doing it twice for major characters may leave the fans feeling dejected, even if it results in a potential Robert Downey Jr. return. The series' ending has resulted in doubt over the practicality of the solution.
Hence, to bring Iron Man back, a method more akin to how the Spider-Men returned to the MCU might have to be taken up. Of course, that will also require an earlier version of Tony Stark to feature.
3) A Reboot
Finally, the last obvious way in which this can be done is via a reboot, which is what has effectively happened for multiple major characters in the MCU. Spider-Man, the X-Men, and even Deadpool have previous versions of the characters starkly different from the current MCU versions.
Easily the most straightforward way to see the character return to Marvel, a reboot appears to be the final way in which Marvel can pull off such a move.
Hence, there are still several ways in which the original character of Iron Man can be introduced in the movie. Whether it happens with or without Robert Downey Jr., remains to be seen.