Marvel Is Doing Iron Man 4’s Best Story Without Tony Stark

The best story that Marvel could have given the MCU’s Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) for Iron Man 4 has been handed to War Machine (Don Cheadle) for Marvel’s Armor Wars show. For years, fans had wanted Marvel to produce a fourth installment in the Iron Man franchise, but it never did extend beyond Iron Man 3, and any hopes for a fourth movie to happen died for good when the character met his end in Avengers: Endgame.

Iron Man is dead, but his legacy is living on in Phase 4 through two Disney+ shows. Ironheart will introduce Riri Williams, a teenage girl who succeeded Iron Man at a time when he was in a coma in Marvel Comics. Another show, Armor Wars, will be the first MCU project to shine the spotlight on Iron Man’s closest ally, War Machine. The show is presumably based on the 1980s Marvel Comics event of the same name. The story involved Tony Stark hunting down villains who were in possession of his stolen armor designs.

Since Armor Wars is an old favorite among Iron Man fans, War Machine’s show is sure to be a welcome addition to the MCU, with perhaps the most disappointing element to the series being that it’s happening without the comic’s main character. In fact, Armor Wars would have worked well as the plot of Iron Man 4 if Marvel had decided to make it. It would have been a perfect fit for the MCU, especially if it was released between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War.

In Armor Wars, Iron Man started out with a calculated approach to tracking down armored villains who may have had his tech, but as his journey wore on, his actions became increasingly reckless. Stark caused a prison break at a supervillain prison when he attacked the guards who wore armor he designed. After having to capture some of the escaped criminals, Steve confronted Iron Man about his plans. During their discussion, Steve angrily returned a replacement shield Stark had made for him, believing it to be a “bribe” to get him to look the other way. A fight followed, and though Captain America failed to arrest Iron Man, Stark still faced serious consequences for his actions, beginning with the termination of his membership with the Avengers.

It would have been interesting to see Iron Man 4 bring these aspects of the comic story to the big screen, especially when considering the fun parallels it would have had to Civil War. In many ways, it could have been an Iron Man-focused, Civil War follow-up with Steve Rogers and Tony Stark being at odds once again, but this time for different reasons. In this instance, Iron Man would be the character on the wrong side of the law. By adapting Armor Wars, Iron Man 4 would have seen Stark do whatever it took to keep his armor out of the wrong hands, even if it meant risking his relationships with his fellow superheroes. It could also have provided audiences with an exciting Captain America vs. Iron Man rematch, but sadly that’s no longer on the table.