The name Robert Downey Jr. has become an alias for Tony Stark. After playing the role for almost 10 films, Tony Stark sacrificed his life to save the entire universe from Thanos. Since Stark’s demise in ‘Avengers: Endgame’, the fans are desperately waiting for Downey Jr. to wear Stark’s suit.
But with Marvel taking up the multiversal storyline, there is speculation that the ‘Oppenheimer’ actor will return as Iron Man. A recent concept art reveals Tony Stark in the new role of mentor for his replacement.
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Tony Stark To Serve As Ironheart’s Mentor In A New Marvel Art
After the tragic sacrifice of Iron Man, Marvel launched Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘. Ironheart will take forward Iron Man’s legacy further into the franchise. The solo series of the titular character is also in the works, making it part of Phase Five. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige confirmed the series’ development in 2020, revealing that the series is expected to premiere in 2025.
The speculations of Robert Downey Jr. returning to Marvel have been going around for a while and, if the franchise wants to revive his character, Ironheart would be the perfect project to bring back Tony Stark. A new poster was shared by Marvels.Wolverine. The Instagram handle depicted the poster that reimagined Tony Stark as an artificial intelligence projection aiding Riri Williams, guiding her through the Ironheart journey.
The poster seemed to be inspired by Inronheart’s origin story in Marvel Comics, as Tony Stark transfers his consciousness into a technological device, becoming an AI for Ironheart to create Iron Man’s own JARVIS.
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Robert Downey Jr. Clears The Air About His Marvel Return
During a 2020 interview on the ‘Joe Rogan Experience‘, the Sherlock Holmes star expressed his interest to return to MCU, but only if there was a “super compelling argument” made for Tony Stark. After playing the same role for a significant amount of time, Robert Downey Jr. also wanted to explore other genres and new roles.
Kevin Feige also revealed that Tony Stark’s death won’t be undone, hence, making Downey Jr.’s return uncertain. In the 2023 cover piece by Vanity Fair, the Marvel Studio president hinted about Stark’s death saying, “worked very hard for many years to get to that, and they are going to keep that moment” and will “not touch that moment again.” The only way the actor can return is in the form of an AI projection.
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