It turns out that Iron Man‘s primary villain was never supposed to die, and I can’t help but wonder how his survival would have changed the face of the MCU. Iron Man’s movie villains were rather underwhelming as a whole, especially when compared to his fellow Avengers. Whiplash and Aldrich Killian were fun, and Justin Hammer remains a fan-favorite, but it is safe to say that they aren’t nearly as memorable or threatening as the villains of other Avengers, like the Winter Soldier and Hela.
Nevertheless, Iron Man got off on a good foot. 2008’s Iron Man introduced Obadiah Stane, Tony Stark’s business partner and interim CEO of Stark Industries, as portrayed by Hollywood royalty, Jeff Bridges. As a friend-turned-villain with a genuine air of menace, Stane was the perfect example of quality MCU villains debuting at the very start of the franchise. Unfortunately, despite how compelling Ironmonger was, his tenure was woefully brief. Iron Man ended with Ironmonger’s death after being exposed to an overloading arc reactor – but this wasn’t always supposed to be the case.
Obadiah Stane Actor Jeff Bridges Stated In 2015 That His MCU Villain Didn’t Die In The Original Iron Man Script
Jeff Bridges Signed On To The Movie When His Fate Was Different
Jeff Bridges partook in a Q&A almost a decade after starring in Iron Man. IGN orchestrated the Q&A on its Facebook page in 2017, where Bridges was asked about various roles, including his iconic tenure as the Dude in The Big Lebowski. When addressing his role as Obadiah Stane, however, Jeff Bridges revealed that his character wasn’t initially supposed to die, stating that the script initially had Stane escape in the nick of time. His full quote is as follows:
“When I was hired on, it was scripted that Obadiah would live, that when they opened his Iron Monger suit…he was not in it. Then, they decided to kill my a** off. Telling me ‘it’s a comic-fantasy, so who knows, your character could come back.’ I guess we’ll see…”
Jeff Bridges addressed the same point in September 2024, revealing that he is still open to returning to the MCU.
Bridges is suggesting that the scene in which Stane seemingly takes the full brunt of an exploding arc reactor while exposed in his Iron Monger suit would be followed by a sH๏τ of his suit being empty, implying his survival. He also ᴀsserts that Marvel Studios suggested comic-fantasy rules could facilitate his character’s revival. This could, of course, be possible in the Multiverse Saga, where an MCU variant could replace the Earth-616 original, like Loki‘s тιтular villain-turned-hero. Still, this is less likely for a minor character like Obadiah Stane.
The MCU’s Trend Of Killing Off Its Villains In Their Movie Debut Arguably Begins With Iron Man
Many Iconic Villains Are Swiftly Killed Off
Obadiah Stane’s death is rendered all the more tragic by the fact that he is an iconic Iron Man villain. This would go on to become a trend in the MCU, with Captain America: The First Avenger following suit by banishing the Red Skull, arguably Cap’s most iconic nemesis, away from the MCU to never interact with Cap again. Other classic villains who were outright killed in their movies include:
- Ulysses Klaue in Black Panther
- Killmonger in Black Panther
- Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder
- Kaecilius in Doctor Strange
- Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Hela in Thor: Ragnarok
- Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron
What makes this feel more egregious is the fact that Iron Man missed out on facing his most iconic nemesis, the Mandarin, before dying himself. It seems as though Iron Man established an unfortunate trend that has at least slowed down in recent MCU installments, with Red Hulk and Sentry both surviving their tenures as arch-villains of Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*, respectively. While these characters are now capable of impacting the future of the MCU, I can’t help but wonder how Iron Monger’s survival might have done the same.
How Iron Monger Surviving Iron Man Could Have Changed The MCU
Obadiah Stane Could Have Been Tony Stark’s Dark Reflection
Obadiah Stane may not have been a genius like Tony Stark, but he was a formidable and exceptionally powerful businessman. Having a corporate nemesis like Stane looming throughout Tony Stark’s MCU arc would have enriched his story, existing as a dark reflection of Tony Stark and what he could have become. This might have either ousted Justin Hammer entirely, with Stane proving to be a more fearsome rival to Tony Stark, or seen them join forces, doubling the threat levels Iron Man faced in his second movie.
With Tony Stark being the financier of the Avengers, Stane could have likewise supported the villainous efforts of shady characters like Ulysses Klaue or Darren Cross.
Stane’s survival would have also helped enrich the interconnection of the MCU. With Tony Stark being the financier of the Avengers, Stane could have likewise supported the villainous efforts of shady characters like Ulysses Klaue or Darren Cross. Still, short of an Iron Man reboot in a possible soft reboot of the entire MCU after Avengers: Secret Wars, Ironmonger’s survival can only be thought of as a What If…? story for now.
Source: IGN
