We Already Know The Best Way To Bring Iron Man Back To The MCU (& Its Biggest Problem)

Iron Man could still be brought back to the MCU after his death in Avengers: Endgame – but his return still poses a big problem. Even five years after his ultimate sacrifice, Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man is still synonymous with the MCU timeline. This fact has complicated matters for Marvel and the Multiverse Saga’s attempts to move on from the Infinity Saga. The correlation between Iron Man’s absence and a dwindling interest in the franchise culminating in a historic MCU Phase 5 box office flop with The Marvels is hard to ignore.

This has stoked enthusiasm for Iron Man’s revival, a process that is par for the course in Marvel Comics but hasn’t been as rife in the MCU. Despite this, Loki’s death in Avengers: Infinity War was practically retconned in Avengers: Endgame when a past version of the character became a variant and went on to lay the groundwork for the Multiverse Saga. This culminated in Loki’s cultivation of the multiverse and countless variants in the Loki season 2 ending, which is precisely where Iron Man could make his return.

Iron Man’s MCU Return Could Easily Happen In Secret Wars

Secret Wars Is Slated To Release In 2027

The importance of Loki’s role in facilitating Tony Stark’s MCU revival is twofold. First, Loki’s “revival” after his death in Avengers: Infinity War set a precedent that death in the MCU does not mean the end. Second, his new lease on life in his self-titled solo series culminated in the rebirth of the multiverse after He Who Remains pruned it into a single timeline. This means that there is no end to the alternate timelines from which a Tony Stark variant can re-emerge.

Avengers: Secret Wars tops the list of upcoming MCU movies that could facilitate this return. Avengers: Secret Wars will mark the culmination of the Multiverse Saga, and is rumored to precede a soft reboot of the MCU that will consolidate its ever-growing list of characters while bidding a final farewell to a litany of heroes that defined the genre beforehand. With that in mind, Avengers: Secret Wars will likely feature a who’s-who of Marvel characters as variants from myriad universes interact as part of a monumental showdown.

The established rules of the multiverse make it reasonable for a Tony Stark variant to be among them. This is where RDJ’s iconic rendition of the character could make his return, even as a variant whose history is identical to that of the “original.” While this would appease calls for his return, there is a lot more at stake for the MCU’s narrative than the revival of previous Spider-Man and X-Men actors.

Why Bringing Back RDJ’s Tony Stark Hurts Endgame

Avengers: Endgame Is The MCU’s Highest-Grossing Movie

Avengers: Endgame was the culmination of over a decade’s worth of interconnected stories, punctuated by the death of the character that started them. The post-credits sound of Tony Stark hammering his first suit of armor helped to illustrate the importance of his death, drawing a line beneath the first Saga of the now-sprawling MCU. It perfectly rounded out Iron Man’s character arc as he made the “sacrifice play” to save the universe, rectifying his perceived mistakes with a snap of his fingers. Bringing him back, therefore, unravels the poetic end to his story.

The multiverse may be able to bring back and introduce just about any character from Marvel’s extensive history, but bringing back RDJ’s Iron Man would undermine his Avengers: Endgame sacrifice. That being said, it is also difficult for the Multiverse Saga to justify not bringing back Iron Man in some capacity when entire universes are at stake and he, as one of the smartest MCU characters, is living within them. In that capacity, Iron Man could return, but as a very different character.

Could The MCU Still Avoid Undermining Avengers: Endgame’s Ending?

Bringing back RDJ’s Iron Man in the exact same guise as before wouldn’t just negatively affect the ending of Avengers: Endgame but the reputation of the MCU. It could be perceived as a quiet admission that his death was a mistake, practically retconning it as a result. Instead, RDJ’s appearance could take on a decidedly different iteration of Iron Man but as a variant that is still important to the narrative – something that Robert Downey Jr stressed in an interview with the Joe Rogan Experience, stating his return would have to make sense for him to be on board.

There would have to be a super compelling argument and a series of events that made it obvious.

If the Multiverse Saga does culminate in the collision of variants from across the multiverse, it would make little sense to preclude Iron Man from the lineup. With that in mind, his return is almost necessary, but the MCU should be careful to ensure that it is not the Iron Man of Earth-616 that shows up to avoid downplaying his arc. Without knowing exactly how the Multiverse Saga’s finale will take shape, however, it remains to be seen whether the right circumstances will come together.