Will There Ever Be Another Iron Man?

Welcome to Marvel Maniac, an MCU after show. This is your host, Eric Cicada, aka Mr. Honest, back with you for a special episode. Aren't all of them special? Well, this one is special to me for a specific reason. Will there ever be another Iron Man? Almost seems like an obvious yes, but there's a lot bundled up in there. There's a lot of baggage I want to unpack and kind of get to the base of this question and what I think could be a possible future for Iron Man in the MCU. Here's the central question: can Tony Stark exist in the MCU without Robert Downey Jr.? And does Marvel even need to find out yet? Many questions to ponder, yet it all lands on this: someday there has to be another Tony Stark. It's especially in the MCU. RDJ's run with the character has made the character iconic, and I know RDJ is very attached to the role himself. Um, will Marvel recast this role? And if they do, when? Like 5 years, 10 years, 20 years? When will we do this, and how will it be good and separate from what we already know Iron Man to be and what we almost already expect him to be. Does Marvel wait until an entirely new generation grows up, give some time after Secret Wars? You know, the plan— vague plan after Secret Wars is a reset, a soft reset where the X-Men, Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and all the characters can live in one happy world that needs to be saved every couple weeks. But the biggest question I have is, who the hell follows Robert Downey Jr.? No fantasy casting today. I'm just interested in whether the character himself can survive separation from the actor. Because Batman survived Adam West, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, Robert Pattinson. Superman survived Christopher Reeve. Spider-Man survived Tobey Maguire. Yet for some reason, Tony Stark is different. Where does Tony Stark end and RDJ begin? So Robert Downey Jr. joined the MCU and launched it in 2008 with the original Iron Man. That movie on its own was iconic, and I mentioned this a few times during the run of the podcast. It came out at the beginning of the summer that The Dark Knight came out. I mean, think about this: 2 superhero movies, one being The Dark Knight, the other being a Marvel movie, Iron Man. The Dark Knight was a bigger cultural sensation, but Iron Man still survived and is still iconic. And because it was just a really well-done film, it's like— it was almost like the year that superhero films were like giving us the okay to make more of them, because 2 films could sit in their own categories, both be successful, both have different heroes from different, you know, DC and Marvel, and it could still be successful in each of their own lanes. That's probably the most successful DC has been in a long time. However, that's a different conversation entirely. The thing about Iron Man is Robert Downey Jr. created what Tony Stark sounds like. His cadence, his improvisational feelings, his sarcasm, physical mannerisms, swagger, vulnerability, arrogance, charm, ability to make Tony an asshole without completely making you hate him. That was RDJ. He brought himself to the role. And a lot of RDJ's rough years before he was cast, he had a bit of a rough go in Hollywood. He was in some iconic movies, but he kind of went down a dark hole, and Iron Man was that light in the tunnel. It's almost like he had a box of scraps and actually rebuilt himself into Iron Man, ironically, just like he did in the cave in that first movie. So let's just imagine maybe after Secret Wars, a year or two, maybe three after Secret Wars, Marvel hires a new brilliant 30-year-old actor to play Iron Man, Tony Stark. He walks into Stark Industries, he's got the goatee, he's talking quickly, makes sarcastic comments, and does even all the little Tony mannerisms. So is he playing Tony Stark or is he doing an RDJ impression? Is the audience expecting that RDJ cadence that's glued to the character of Tony Stark? Or are they? Will they be more open to a solid movie with a different direction for the character, which would be a brave thing to do? It'd be a very brave thing to do because if you mess that up, it taints Iron Man in general, and it ruffles the fans' feathers because some people probably wouldn't even want them to bring back another Iron Man. But he is a staple hero of the MCU, and he's a. Let's just say it. Let's just say it. He's a moneymaker. This character, debatably because of Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of him, is a huge draw. And I'm, I'm here for it. I would absolutely go see whatever new Iron Man they came— that came out and give it a genuine shot because I don't think the character of Tony Stark should remain dead. I think there's a lot more story available. There's a lot more to draw from the comics and I think eventually Marvel knows this and they're probably toying with the idea right now, but first we have to get through Doctor Doom and what RDJ brings to that part. RDJ influenced the cinematic perception of Tony Stark so profoundly that another actor might accidentally imitate the actor instead of interpreting the character. So what characteristics have to survive a recasting because they're Tony Stark, and what characteristics should die with RDJ because They're Robert Downey Jr. Very. I mean, ask yourself that question. It's it's a tough one. Email me [email protected] with your thoughts. Do you have a dream casting? We'll keep it to you guys. You tell me your dream casting for a new Iron Man who could pull off the role, who doesn't have to be doing an RDJ impression, or maybe you do feel that he has to kind of have the cadence of Robert Downey Jr. because that is who you and. A lot of people just associate with the character. Could a new actor actually pull it off? This is actually not a new thing in cinema and movies; it's just a new character and a slightly different situation because of the cultural phenomenon of this character. We've couldn't imagine another Joker after Jack Nicholson, yet Heath Ledger came in and made the definitive Joker, in my opinion. Wolverine. I mean, he still seems impossible to cast. It's almost like the studios are afraid to dip their foot into those waters of new territory because of the potential draw of Hugh Jackman coming back as Wolverine. You know, they've had generations of Batman. We have all different iterations and everyone kind of brings a different type of persona to the part. We've already had multiple successful Spider-Men. As we're— we've been talking about a lot lately. So are we being unfair to Tony Stark the character by declaring nobody can ever play him again? Tony existed before Robert Downey Jr. Tony Stark will exist after Robert Downey Jr. And someday an actor may do something completely different with him that we never knew we wanted. And that's actually what you would want. Don't hire fake Robert Downey Jr. Don't search Hollywood for handsome guys 32 to 38 that must be capable of talking really fast. And raising one eyebrow. Find somebody who makes Tony Stark his own. And again, risky, risky, but that's what Marvel has to do is take that chance on something they know in their gut is a good idea. The goal shouldn't and doesn't need to be, wow, he reminds me of Robert Downey Jr. The victory would seriously be, holy shit, I didn't know Tony Stark could be played like this. And We have a whole new saga at the— at our feet immediately once that's accepted. When is the perfect time to recast him? Big question, right? You know, Secret Wars era, that's going to be a big deal, but that's going to pass. We don't know exactly what it's going to look like. It's going to be a soft reboot to the universe. So are we going to give it a couple years post-Secret Wars because RDJ is Doom? Is RDJ going to stay Doom? I mean, eventually Marvel has to figure out what the universe is going to look like going forward. I mean, they're probably talking about that now. They've been talking about it. You've got the Avengers. I mean, the new iteration of that is a whole different episode we could talk all about. Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spider-Man, all these different corners of Marvel history that theoretically can exist together. And Tony Stark is too important to Marvel mythology to have a permanent character unavailable, actor retired in 2019 sign hanging over him forever. That's just It's just not the way to do it. We need Iron Man to come back in one way or another sooner rather than later, in my opinion. So post-Secret Wars feels like the natural moment when Marvel could introduce another Tony. And let's just hold our horses for a minute and take this in a completely different direction, which is my favorite. Why are we assuming that RDJ can't be Tony? Secret Wars is going to introduce variants. We're going to most likely see RDJ as Iron Man as some of those variants in Secret Wars. I don't want to keep this too centric on that, but it is the turning point and the chance for them to actually bring Iron Man back in the mix. I don't think anyone's really thinking about Iron Man right now because of Doomsday and because Doctor Doom, his story still lingers, and we don't even know how that's going to be explained. The face of Tony Stark on the Victor Von Doom, uh, the new main baddie of the MCU, and this powerhouse that we haven't even really got to meet yet. So a lot, a lot's definitely going to be lying on that. But for RDJ, I mean, he's still capable of playing the character. He's still charismatic. Tony spends half his superhero career inside of technologically impossible armor anyway. And Marvel itself has already reopened the RDJ door by bringing the actor back into its universe as Doctor Doom. So maybe the immediate question isn't who is the next Iron Man, maybe it's Are we actually finished with this Iron Man? But no, Mr. Honest, that's going to ruin the ending from Endgame. No, it won't. Hugh Jackman, ladies and gentlemen. Logan gave Hugh Jackman's Wolverine a definitive emotional conclusion. Then years later, Hugh returned. Everyone associates him with the role. People are comfortable watching him in the role. Deadpool and Wolverine kicked ass. We got to see that Hugh Jackman is perfectly capable of playing this character still. It's nostalgic, it's fun, it's defeating the we can't recast him because he died in a meaningful way. I mean, we gave Robert Downey Jr.— we're gonna have given him like 10 years by the time, you know, the time comes for that character's possible return. We've mourned him, and he's already coming back as Doom, so you're already opening the door to bringing that character back in one way or another. And why does it have to be another Tony Stark erases Endgame? Our Tony Stark is dead, period. Don't resurrect him. Don't reveal that the Infinity Stones teleported him somewhere. Don't undo I Am Iron Man. That Tony sacrificed himself. That Tony, his story ended. Let him stay dead. But the MCU has already established worlds containing alternate versions of characters. I mean, I'm talking about Hugh Jackman's Wolverine for a reason. He died, but he came back. The meaning and beautiful ending of Logan, some might argue, was a little bit tarnished when Deadpool was back at the scene of the crime using the adamantium bones of Wolverine to kill a bunch of TVA agents. I also think that was one of the best openings you could have done for that movie. Hilarious. And to me, this means theoretically Robert Downey Jr. can play another Tony Stark whose life went a bit differently. And keep in mind, I'm just pitching possibilities. I'm not predicting Marvel's actual story. A lot of things and many things can happen, and this might just not be it. But imagine another universe that reached the Thanos conflict. God, don't get me started on Thanos. I love the guy. Hope we see him again. But Tony didn't snap in this universe. What if Steve, Captain America, was the one who sacrificed himself and Tony survived? What does Tony Stark become after that? Our Tony carried enormous guilt through his life already. What happens when Steve Rogers, the man Tony fought with, resented, respected, and ultimately reconciled with, dies saving Tony's universe? Does Tony become better? Worse, more obsessive? Does he finally retire? Does survivor's guilt consume him, similar to him going crazy in Iron Man 3 and building all these suits? Like a different version of that, not Ultron, but like just a more extreme Iron Man. Does he decide that the next time there can never be another situation where somebody has to sacrifice themselves? Does he put a suit of armor around the world, whether it's metaphorically or literally? Does the survivor's guilt and depression turn him into a darker version of Tony? Is that actually the road to Doctor Doom already? Are we already like accidentally paving that path? The thick accent that Doctor Doom has in the trailers says otherwise to me. What if an alternate Tony's attempt to prevent another endgame is precisely what destroys him? Again, this is not what Marvel is doing. This is just me throwing. Darts at the board. And I mean, just look at how many Tony Stark stories become available the second you stop assuming every Tony lived our Tony's life. There's variants, and that is completely explainable and completely fair to bring him back into the mix via a variant. I know there's some of you, if not a lot of you, that's saying, Eric, Endgame was perfect, leave Tony alone. I respect that. I understand where you're coming from. You don't want to tarnish the reputation of the hero who sacrificed himself. The perfect story. The story that the MCU could have arguably ended on instead of kept going. Yeah, powerful moment. I don't want to rob the viewers of that moment. Tony's death works because we spent more than a decade with him. He finally made the ultimate sacrifice, bringing Iron Man back purely because audiences miss him could feel cynical if handled badly. But this is where I'd argue that stories don't become retroactively meaningless because another version exists later. The emotional experience happened. Endgame still ends exactly the same way. Tony's daughter still loses her father. Pepper still tells him that they'll be okay. That universe still lost its Iron Man. A new variant of Tony Stark doesn't change one single frame of it. And importantly, Marvel already decided that RDJ himself wasn't untouchable after Endgame. He's back in the franchise. One of my favorite parts about Iron Man is it's fun, it's comedic in its own way, uh, and we love the character of Tony Stark specifically because, in my opinion, Robert Downey Jr. plays him so well. And I don't think it's that insane to make another universe's Tony have a brand new trilogy even. And here's my reveal to you of what I actually want. After all this debating on new actors, new takes on the character, all these different, uh, cogs in the machine, I don't want another actor yet. Eventually, absolutely. Tony Stark should outlive every actor who plays him. But right now, give me Robert Downey Jr. again. Not our resurrected Tony. A new Tony, different history, different scars, same essential man. Maybe he'll have more of an alcohol problem like he does in the comics. They won't be afraid to go a little bit darker with his story and actually put him in that vibranium-level Iron Man suit, or even an adamantium suit. Who knows? He could do so many more cool suits. I want to see more suit-ups. Don't make him a cameo machine. Don't give him 6 minutes in an Avengers movie so everybody can clap. Do that in Secret Wars and then keep him. If you're bringing Iron Man back, make Iron Man movies. Yes, dare I say I want another Iron Man trilogy, and it doesn't start with Iron Man 4 because that would be continuing the story of a man who we saw die by sacrifice. No, I think the next series would have a subtitle like Iron Man Reforged. That's the beginning. And Reforged is freaking perfect because it works on multiple levels. Iron Man has been reforged. The MCU has been reforged. Tony's mythology has been reforged. RDJ's relationship with the character has been reforged. Same fundamental material, something new made from it. I don't want Iron Man 1 again. We don't need another cave. We don't need another Obadiah Stone. We don't need Tony learning weapons have consequences again. All the stuff that we went through, we went through. There's no repeats. We assume the audience, us, understands Tony Stark. As fans, we're smarter than needing to see this Spider-Man get bit by the spider and go through his Uncle Ben moment, even though this Spider-Man, his Uncle Ben moment was really more Aunt May or Tony Stark, one or the other or both. Um, but the point is. This movie would assume we know a bit about Iron Man already, and we don't need to see the origin again. And I think that'd be the smartest way to go. We gradually reveal how this man's history differs from the one we know, and then the narration starts after Rogers died. You know, the audience understands, oh shit, we're not just watching, uh, our old Tony. We're discovering a new one. Movie two of this trilogy, the Invincible Iron Man established, returned, accepted. Wanted. First movie was a smash hit. We've proven to the audience that this Tony is acceptable. We are happy that RDJ's back. Could be one of the biggest Iron Man movies to date. It's Tony at full power. No introduction necessary. No apology for bringing him back. He is Iron Man again. You can even make the title thematically ironic. Tony keeps surviving. Our Tony died. This Tony didn't What does feeling invincible eventually do to somebody whose greatest trauma comes from surviving when someone else didn't? And for the 3rd movie of this new trilogy, Iron Man: Resurgence— that title kind of earns itself, not because Tony literally is resurrected, but because by movie 3, Iron Man has fully returned as a pillar of Marvel. Reforged equals rebirth, invincible equals ascension, and resurgence equals legacy. You don't necessarily have to kill him again. For God's sake, let one Tony Stark eventually just retire and enjoy himself and his family. Marvel spent years treating Hugh Jackman's Wolverine as something sacred and finished, and then they found a way to let him play Wolverine again without pretending Logan never mattered. That movie was iconic, and Logan is seriously one of the best comic book movies made, undeniably. So if Marvel can find meaningful Wolverine stories for Hugh Jackman, Why can't there be another meaningful Iron Man story for Robert Downey Jr.? We don't need him playing Tony forever. Someday another actor will put on the armor, and when that happens, you know, I would hope I'm open-minded enough to give him a chance. But I'm not quite ready to rush there yet because Robert Downey Jr. still has that spark. Tony Stark still has stories to tell, and after everything Marvel has established about variants, Alternate histories and rebuilding its universe. Maybe the next great Iron Man performance doesn't have to come from somebody new just yet. Maybe it comes from watching the guy who defined Tony Stark discover a Tony Stark he hasn't even played before. Like Deadpool said again, we're gonna keep him around until he's 90. All speculation, and you know who knows what they're actually planning post Secret Wars. RDJ is older but not too old. I have faith that he can come back to the part and bring it back in a big way, and I would be a very happy fan if they did that. I think it would win over the fans that don't want that to happen, if I'm being honest. But hey, this is all just speculation and just in a fan theory. You don't have to follow it or believe it. It's just for fun, and I love Iron Man, so I would like to imagine there's a future for him one way or another, even if they do recast the him. I hope they picked the right guy. Thank you for listening. Join our Discord group in the notes of this episode. Also email us [email protected] with your theories, thoughts on this episode, and rate the show. Give it 5 stars and go to Apple, leave a review. It makes a huge difference and it helps the show grow. Until next time, Avengers disassemble.