Ever since Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark took his last breath in Avengers: Endgame (2019), the future of Iron Man has been precarious. While neither Marvel Studios nor the actor himself has revealed any significant details that might point to his return, fans have always hoped that he would. But when Kevin Feige announced a new Disney+ series featuring Riri Williams, aka, Ironheat, people saw a flicker of potential for Iron Man’s comeback to the MCU.
However, according to recent reports, Tony Stark might not grace his presence in the Dominique Thorn-led show after all. On a less despondent side though, there is still immense scope for the genius scientist-turned-superhero to appear in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man Might Not Make it in Ironheart
Though Robert Downey Jr. retired from his role as Iron Man post Endgame, the emotional connection he shares with the character has never once swayed. The same attachment is what fans have been hoping would nudge Downey Jr. to come back to the MCU, and for the longest time, it was believed that Ironheart would open that door for him.
Ironheart is a superhero series that is set to release in the upcoming year starring Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams. The show follows Riri, a 19-year-old MIT student who gets inspired by Iron Man to design her own advanced, high-tech suit of armor. Given the obvious connections between Ironheart and Iron Man, the audience has naturally been expecting some room for the latter in the series. Fan theories even claimed that Downey Jr. could appear in an A.I. form in the show if Iron Man doesn’t get revived.
What’s more, Thorne, who made her debut as Ironheart in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther 2, even had a heartfelt conversation with Downey Jr. about her superhero character. As Thorne gets ready to embark on her superhero journey, the Sherlock Holmes star imparted some profound advice to her. Encouraging her to keep the “legacy” alive, he gave her his blessing for the upcoming show.
Keeping all this in mind, fans were nearly convinced that they would get to see Downey Jr. once again as a part of the MCU. But chances for the same have now started to look slim as rumors claim that the Dolittle actor isn’t coming back to Marvel anytime soon.
Iron Man Will Allegedly Return to the MCU in Avengers: Secret Wars
It’s been 3 years since Iron Man sacrificed himself to save the world from Thanos’ wrath and not a day has gone by without fans waiting for a miracle that would prop him back into the MCU. Amidst fan theories and speculation, one of the most widely prevalent theories is that Downey Jr.’s Iron Man will possibly get revived in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Secret Wars is going to be the final film that will conclude Phase 6 and Marvel Studios’ president has time and again stated how he’s planning on surpassing even Endgame with this project. There have also been numerous talks about how Secret Wars will have the epic portal scene from the Duffer brothers’ 2019 film, only twice as epic. The film is also reportedly going to unite almost every iconic superhero across the MCU from various dimensions.
So according to these theories and new sources, Downey Jr.’s Iron Man is highly likely to make a grand comeback to Secret Wars. Fingers crossed!
Ironheart season 1 will release on Disney + in 2023.
Avengers: Secret Wars is scheduled to premiere on May 1, 2026.
Source: Ember | Pop Culture News via Twitter
