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Credit: Marvel StudiosMarvel finally explains what role Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark/Iron Man had in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
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Tony Stark is definitely the most influential person in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Phase 4 has barely scraped by without referencing Stark in some manner in every MCU movie. Ms. Marvel actually had to tone down how much they mentioned Iron Man.
After Tony’s Sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame (2019), fans thought that would be the last time they heard about Iron Man. Then there were rumors that Doctor Strange 2 was going to show fans an evil version of Iron Man with Tom Cruise starring. While this would’ve shocked fans and be amazing to see in the alternate universe that Strange visits, Cruise’s Iron Man never made it into the movie.
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Fans were still confused about how Ultron’s robots were working for the Illuminati and Richie Palmer made it clear while talking to Empire that Tony Stark did what he always wanted to do in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and was able to retire:
“… but this is a world where Ultron seemed to work the way Tony Stark intended him to work in Age of Ultron. ‘A suit of armor around the world,’ Tony was trying to get the Avengers to retire in Age of Ultron. So imagine this is a Wanda that, around that time… This is a world where Tony cracked Ultron, and it worked, and he went, ‘Hey, whoever wants to retire and go home, can.’ And then the Illuminati came to rise behind the scenes, pulling the strings, but, I think it’s just a little bit of a better world for whatever reason, and Wanda was able to go and have the life that she deserved. We as the audience don’t know who the father of those children is in this universe.”
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This is why Wanda Maximoff is seen enjoying life with her children because she wasn’t needed to save the world since the Illuminati took over that position. It’s great knowing that Tony could live a happy life, but it does feel wrong that Stark sat idle when Thanos arrived or when Wanda destroyed the Illuminati.
While it is cool to think that Stark got to live happily with his family in this timeline, it does make you wonder if Marvel will continue to mention Tony Stark in any other universe or if fans will get to see any variants of Iron Man in the future. As of right now, RDJ isn’t reported to ever return to the MCU and hasn’t shown any interest in reprising his role so fans might have to get used to not seeing Stark on the big screen.
More on Doctor Strange 2
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Doctor Strange 2 is directed by Sam Raimi and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange in the main timeline, but he will also play other variants in the movie such as Sinister Strange, Defender Strange, and Strange Supreme.
The movie stars Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), Wong as the Sorcerer Supreme (Benedict Wong), Mordo, (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Rintrah (Adam Hugill), Charles Xavier/Professor X (Sir Patrick Stewart), and other members from the Illuminati.
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Do you want to see RDJ reprise his role as Iron Man again? Let us know what you think!
Phase Four has started off with a lot of content for Marvel fans to look forward to in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On Disney+ you can watch Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk on August 17. For movies, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness is now on Disney+ with Thor: Love and Thunder on releasing in theaters on July 8, and of course, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11.