Iron Man makes an exciting comeback in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though with a different actor. The role was made famous by Robert Downey Jr. when he starred in 2008’s Iron Man until his final bow in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Unfortunately, the beloved hero sacrificed himself to save the world, but because of the power of the multiverse, fans got to see the character again in the Disney+ series What If…?. Unlike other fellow Avengers, whose original actors returned to voice their respective characters, Iron Man is played by voice actor Mick Wingert.
Iron Man Returns In What If…? Without Robert Downey Jr.
The second season of Disney+ series What If…? just premiered on television and will have a total of nine episodes as part of MCU’s Phase 5. While the show is an animated streaming series, the majority of the cast from the live-action films reprised their roles.
Chris Hemsworth came back as Thor, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. Unluckily, fans won’t get to hear Robert Downey Jr. voice Tony Stark because Mick Wingert has replaced him. Scarlett Johansson is also absent from the series, though her part as Black Widow has been filled in by voice actress Lake Bell.
Fans can assume that the reason Downey Jr. and Johansson skipped the project is that they are officially done portraying their MCU characters and have since retired from the superhero world. Their talent fees are also no joke.
But Marvel fans need not worry because Wingert is no stranger when it comes to voicing Iron Man. He has voiced Tony Stark in various iterations of the character, such as Avengers Assemble, Marvel Rising, Marvel: Contest of Champions, and Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled.
It’s true that replacing Downey Jr. as Iron Man is one huge risk and responsibility, and fans still do notice the difference. In an interview with Discussing Film, Wingert talked about his experience voicing Tony Stark:
“I love playing Tony Stark/Iron Man. To be honest, my opportunity to play him came out of the right risk-taking in the audition meeting the perfect opportunity to get into the Marvel Animation family.”
The voice actor admitted he only got to know Iron Man on a deeper level when he started playing the role. And when Downey Jr. became the character, it was much harder to surpass that when the actor was the definitive Iron Man.
“I was only ever a marginal Iron Man fan as a kid. While I liked the idea of the suit, I had no idea who Tony Stark really was growing up. I know it’s sacrilege – but bear with me… Then Robert Downey, Jr. immortalized the character on screen in 2008 – and for the first time I “got” Tony Stark.”
Wingert’s strategy during his audition impressed the higher-ups, in which he made Tony Stark act aloof and sound like the smartest guy in the room. He was invited into the fold, and the rest is history.
Will Marvel Studios Bring Back Robert Downey Jr. Again?
Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU has become a hot debate among fans ever since his exit from the franchise in 2019. Many speculated that he would somehow make a cameo appearance in one of the most anticipated installments of the Avengers saga.
Kevin Feige made it clear in his interview with Vanity Fair that they have no plans to bring Iron Man back into the game.
“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again. We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
Mick Wingert’s role as Iron Man in What If…? might be so for the long run, and so far, it has been great for fans.
