The MCU is an ever-evolving beast, and thanks to the multiverse, anything can happen in the current timeline. We’ve seen alternate versions of heroes return in movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Recently, there have also been cameos from concluded Marvel timelines, like 20th Century Studios’s X-Men movies, which made a shocking comeback during The Marvels post-credit scene.
With all the recent Easter eggs and alternate dimensions, it seems like the MCU has an open door where any of our favorite Marvel characters can return to the big screen. However, before we all scream in frustration at complicated cinematic timelines, Kevin Feige has assured fans that one pivotal moment in the Marvel canon won’t be touched amid all the multiverse mayhem. Iron Man’s ending isn’t going anywhere.
During an interview with Vanity Fair, Feige confirmed that we won’t be seeing a possible resurrection of Tony Stark in any upcoming Marvel movies.
If you need a quick refresher, Tony Stark died in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame (aka one of the best superhero movies ever made). In the film, Stark manages to defeat the Marvel villain Thanos by stealing the Infinity Stones, destroying the baddie and himself in the process.
Stark’s sacrifice is one of the most heartbreaking and best moments in the entire MCU, and it seems like the studio is going to respect the monumental moment. That means we likely won’t be seeing a resurrected version of the hero in Marvel Phase 6 or future Marvel series anytime soon.
“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige explained. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
Anthony Russo (one of the directors of Endgame) also said that Robert Downey Jr is unlikely to return to the character. After saying goodbye to the fictional billionaire role, the star had difficulty doing reshoots. So, we can imagine Marvel won’t be able to convince him to lead the Iron Man cast again. Sorry, in advance, to all you Armor Wars and Ironheart fans!
While Tony Stark isn’t going to return to the MCU (for now, anyway), there are still plenty of new movies to look forward to. Wolverine is making a comeback in Deadpool 3, and fans are anxious to see how Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will work without Stark on the team.
While we wait for more news, why not look over our guide on how to watch all the Marvel movies in order, and how to watch all the Iron Man movies in order. We also have guides on the best movies of all time and the best action movies ever made if you need a superhero break.