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There have been speculations about Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Tony Stark in the MCU, possibly in a Secret Wars movie where Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man recruits Avengers from different universes to face the Council of Kangs. Given Tony Stark’s demise in Avengers: Endgame, bringing back RDJ would require creative plot twists. It’s likely that RDJ may not portray Earth-616’s Tony Stark at all. Here, we explore eleven potential scenarios for Iron Man’s comeback in the MCU.
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MCU: 11 Ways That Tony Stark Could Return in Avengers: Secret Wars
AI Hologram Simulation Built by Tony
The anticipated route for Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback is one that most fans are reluctant to embrace. Throughout the Marvel movies, Tony Stark showcased his prowess in creating artificial intelligence like Jarvis/Vision and Ultron, as well as holograms of himself and operator-less Iron Man suits. Combining these elements could create a simulated version of Tony’s thought patterns and personality, featuring a holographic face and an unmanned Iron Man suit. However, this concept falls short for fans as it doesn’t truly capture the essence of Tony Stark.
Side Effects of the Soul and Mind Gems
The possibility of Tony Stark’s return to aid the Avengers in facing Kang could involve bending the rules, similar to the holographic scenario, but with Tony’s real consciousness in the suit he perished in. The peculiar nature of the infinity gems, as demonstrated in Wandavision, suggests unpredictable outcomes. Although Tony’s body succumbed to radiation, the gems, extending beyond the physical, engaged with his soul and mind before his demise. It’s plausible that his death while wearing these gems bound his essence to the suit, awaiting revival when his daughter seeks a solution to assist the Avengers.
Ultimate Iron Man Variant
There are limited possibilities for the return of Tony Stark in Earth-616, and the next options involve exploring variants from other Earths. One such option is the early 2000s Iron Man from the Ultimate universe (starting in 2001). In this iteration, the Iron Man suit has distinct features like a Samurai-style helmet, a more robust armor with flared arms and legs, and a metallic gray torso and limbs.
This version of Tony Stark has a significantly altered backstory. His mother, while pregnant with him (named Antonio), was infected by a bioengineered virus she created. This virus resulted in Tony having hypersensitive skin and gaining super genius abilities, making him drastically different from the more human version of Tony Stark in Earth-616.
Superior Iron Man
During the production of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there were speculations about Tom Cruise portraying Superior Iron Man and joining the Illuminati. Although this didn’t happen, Earth-838 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe does have a Tony Stark, evidenced by Ultron droids, and he, like other deceased members of that world’s Illuminati, is not a benevolent figure.
In the rumored plot of Secret Wars, where heroes travel across dimensions to recruit powerful Avengers, they might encounter Earth-838’s Illuminati. There, an antagonistic version of Iron Man, portrayed by either RDJ or Cruise, could be attempting to access Earth-616 to eliminate Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch.
Iron Maniac
Moving from a self-centered and selfish Iron Man to one that is genuinely evil, Iron Maniac from Earth-5012, depicted in the comics, was responsible for killing numerous heroes in his world. In a storyline, he is transported to Earth-616 by Reed Richards. Notably, Iron Maniac’s armor had a distinctive plum purple and metallic gray appearance. Drawing parallels to Doctor Doom from Earth-616, Iron Maniac emerged as an antagonist for his world’s Fantastic Four. His face bore burns inflicted by Human Torch, reminiscent of Doom’s facial scars.
If Doom is set to play a significant role in the Secret Wars plot, Iron Maniac could serve as a foreshadowing of the trajectory Doom’s character may take across different timelines.
Variant from Season One Finale of What If…?
In the concluding episode of the first season of “What If…?”, a distinctive variant of Tony Stark makes a brief appearance alongside Gamora. This version of Stark dons a bulky suit with a color palette of orange, yellow, and turquoise. The scene hints at his interstellar activities and collaboration with a variant of Gamora. Despite minimal information about this Tony Stark, he proposes a concept involving Stark “suits” across the galaxy, echoing his past mistakes with Ultron that contributed to the multiversal crisis addressed by The Watcher. The Watcher, recognizing Stark’s pivotal role in the crisis, dismisses him with a curt “Not you, Stark.” Despite the ambiguity surrounding this variant, he stands out as one of the few surviving Tony Starks in the MCU and a plausible candidate for involvement in events like Secret Wars.
Iron Sorcerer Supreme
Moving beyond the realm of “what if,” on Earth-9810, Tony Stark takes on the role of Sorcerer Supreme alongside his advancements in armor technology, establishing himself as a uniquely powerful variant of Iron Man. This version, known as the Iron Sorcerer, possesses capabilities equivalent to both Doctor Strange and Iron Man from Earth-616. The fusion of mystical expertise and technological prowess is hinted at in a behind-the-scenes video from Endgame, where Robert Downey Jr. dons Doctor Strange’s Cloak of Levitation. The concept seamlessly integrates into the narrative, considering the shared characteristics of Doctor Strange and Tony Stark—both being smarmy, middle-aged geniuses sporting 1990s-style club-boy chin-strap beards.
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Destroyer Iron Man x Iron Hammer
This proposal envisions a fusion of Earth-616’s Destroyer Iron Man suit, constructed from uru—a cosmic metal found in the Destroyer and Mjolnir—with the variant from the Infinity Warps narrative. In the Infinity Warps storyline, Iron Man combines with Thor, wielding Mjolnir and gaining Thor’s abilities alongside power armor.
In this iteration, Tony Stark, empowered by the demigod might and further enhanced by an almost indestructible uru suit, emerges as potentially the most potent incarnation of Iron Man and one of the most impervious beings throughout the multiverse.
Tony Stark from Age of Apocalypse
Now that Marvel has acquired the X-Men, there’s potential to incorporate the Fox-verse actors and explore alternate timelines from the X-Men comics. One significant arc that could serve as a major storyline for a rebooted MCU is the Age of Apocalypse (AoA). In this alternate timeline, Charles Xavier’s son, Legion, travels back in time to kill Magneto but accidentally eliminates Xavier instead. With Xavier gone, Apocalypse seizes the opportunity to conquer the world.
One intriguing aspect of AoA is the altered fate of Tony Stark. In this timeline, Stark doesn’t become Iron Man but commands a battleship instead. If this version of Stark is integrated into the MCU, it opens the door for Earth-616’s Spider-Man to interact with him. This encounter could be shaped by changes in Spider-Man’s origin story, perhaps involving Peter Parker’s early demise or the death of a Spider-Man in this altered reality.
Considering the potential convergence of storylines in Secret Wars, which could mark the conclusion of Earth-616, introducing AoA’s Tony Stark and linking him to the broader narrative could lay the groundwork for the next cinematic arc. This approach would position Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal as a pivotal element bridging the two cinematic timelines.
A Gen X Version of Iron Man
Possibly, the variant of Tony Stark we could have seen in the late 1990s might have been more recognizable to long-time comic readers than the film adaptation of Earth-616. In the comics during the late 1980s, there was a brief storyline where Tony Stark was paralyzed, unable to use his legs due to a gunshot-induced spinal cord injury. This iteration of Stark shared similarities with earlier depictions of Thor and the Hulk in Marvel Comics, where their human identities had physical or emotional vulnerabilities.
Donald Blake, Thor’s human form, had a weak leg and relied on a cane, while Bruce Banner, the Hulk’s human form, was a physically small and emotionally scarred individual with anger management issues. The underlying idea from Jack Kirby and Stan Lee was clear – a superhero, like Superman, who lacks an understanding of human frailty or the pain of the human condition, could easily turn into a villain. The Tony Stark from this storyline knew pain, having battled alcoholism. This could have been the version we saw in the late 1990s if the film had been produced at that time.
The House of M’s Sapien Deathmatch Armor
The latest iteration in our lineup introduced a standout armor design. In the alternate reality of House of M, shaped by Scarlet Witch’s influence where mutants reign supreme, Tony Stark crafted a Gundam-inspired suit named the Sapien Deathmatch Armor. Unlike a standard Iron Man exoskeleton, this version features bulkier, less streamlined armor components, with prominent external thrusters on the back, exposed piping, and a substantial arm-mounted cannon accompanied by an ammunition belt. This suit is specifically engineered for unparalleled high-speed aerial combat, setting it apart from any other Iron Man armor.
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