It’s official. The only from the original six Avengers without an impending replacement is Tony Stark/. But what could an possibly look like?
More to the point, how will the introduce a successor, and who could possibly become the new and live up to Jr’s sensational legacy?
If the comics are anything to go by — and they certainly have been in the past — we may just have our answer.
Could introduce Riri Williams as Ironheart?
For those who don’t know, Riri Williams is a introduced in the series as a replacement to , after he was left comatose at the end of Civil War II, a long fought battle between Tony and fellow .
However, the fifteen-year-old Ironheart wasn’t left to fend for herself, as an A.I duplicate of acted as her mentor (something that has also been considered as a way to re-introduce Robert Jr into the MCU).
Riri is a superb choice as the next , not only for her fresh take on the iconic suit, but also her mind-blowing intelligence, which could well put her on par with the likes of Shuri, Bruce Banner, and himself.
Alternatively, however, have also come up with an alternative suggestion, using a created by the itself: Tony’s daughter Morgan. Either of these characters would be in prime position to take over the legacy in a post- world.
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Robert Jr‘s is the only without a Phase Four replacement
The end of Avengers: Endgame saw more than just the closure of phase three (though, technically Spider-Man: Far From Home officially marked that moment). It also saw the death of two of the original Avengers, as well as the retirement of a third: Tony Stark/, , and Steve Rogers/ respectively.
Fortunately for us, Kevin Feige and his team at had planned this out years in advance, leaving us with suitable replacements for everyone.
passed the mantle onto fellow Sam Wilson, otherwise known as the Falcon, while director Cate Shortland revealed yesterday that will pass the mantle to in the upcoming .
We know that the series will see Clint Barton pass the mantle to a new , Kate Bishop, while fellow show She-Hulk seemingly looks to replace The with Jennifer Walters as the ‘s big, green muscle.
Finally, the announcement that Natalie Portman will return to the gives us our second Thor, as the mantle will be taken up by Portman’s from the first two films, Jane Foster.
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Why is there no ?
In the past, has been known to keep its cards close to the chest, particularly in the lead up to and Endgame. three ended on such a poignant note – with ‘s obliteration of followed by his tragic death — that the studio likely wants to give fans time to process the passing of such a beloved .
It’s also probably that reason that The Falcon and The will focus on Sam’s development as he struggles with the responsibility of becoming . Diving straight into a new version of a likely wouldn’t be wise, and as we know, loves to take its time.
Of course, there are who think that we’ve not seen an announcement about a new /Ironheart because Robert Jr. isn’t done with the . We know that he’s appearing in a cameo role in the this year, but beyond that, it isn’t clear if is set to play the again.
The introduction of Kate Bishop, , and Ms. has also lent many to believe that a is on the horizon. Rumors have also suggested that we’ll see Kid in the upcoming series, so introducing Riri as Ironheart would give real credence to a project being a reality, as opposed to MCU fan wish fulfilment.
We can absolutely imagine taking the ‘s lead and introducing Riri as Ironheart as a surprise in phase four or five. It happened with and Thor, now we want to see give us our new Iron-. (Preferably with returning as her A.I mentor!)
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What do you think about Riri Williams as the MCU’s Ironheart? Let us know in the comments below.