The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has come a long way since Iron Man came out in 2008, and in 2025, many of the scenes featuring this flagship character look very different. In the last 17 years, the MCU has expanded and changed a great deal. And some of these changes have altered how past scenes are experienced today.

With that in mind, it’s worth revisiting the character who started it all, Tony Stark. His story kicked off the MCU, and throughout the Infinity Saga, his arc appeared to mimic the changes and developments of the wider franchise. Iron Man sacrificed himself in 2019s Avengers: Endgame, but his legacy lives on.

And now, years after the character has left the MCU behind, revisiting his story and looking at the biggest moments from his solo trilogy appears in a whole new light. Especially when considering how many others he inspired, and the influence his choices have had on the world even long after the character died.

Iron Man Gets His First Suit

In Iron Man, one of the most iconic moments for Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark is when the character is kidnapped and forced to build a weapon for terrorists. This entire sequence is tense, but along with the help of Yinsen, Tony manages to covertly make a super suit that would become the Mark I.

But, in 2025, Ironheart delivered a similar scene where Riri Williams calls on some help from friends and builds an impressive suit, despite having limited resources. Yes, Riri hasn’t been kidnapped, but with pressure to join a group of criminals, the scenes feel similarly tense.

Now, looking back at Tony’s work in the cave, it’s easy to see how these two moments connect, at opposite ends of the MCU, and 17 years apart. And this connection ultimately helps to enhance the entire MCU, and its connective nature.

Tony Stark’s Self-Destructive Rampage In Iron Man 3

Speaking of high-pressure situations, Tony Stark went through a lot between Iron Man and Iron Man 3. By the time the third entry in his saga came out, Tony had fought in the Battle of New York, and seen the threats that existed beyond his world.

This leads Tony to make some pretty self-destructive choices by the time Iron Man 3 rolls around. From inviting terrorist attacks on his home, to obsessively building new suits and ignoring his partner, Pepper Potts. Tony was not at his best.

Similarly, Riri Williams, a spiritual successor to the character of Tony Stark, also went through a period of self-destruction that appears to be ongoing in the MCU. After being kicked out of MIT, Riri joined a gang to make some money, but after separating from these low-level criminals, Riri has chosen to follow an even darker path.

At the end of Ironheart, Riri makes a deal with the mysterious figure known as Mephisto, Marvel’s version of the literal devil. Hopefully Riri will recognize her mistake before it’s too late and avoid catastrophic pitfalls like Tony’s in Iron Man 3.

Iron Man Says Goodbye To His Many Suits

Later, in Iron Man 3, Tony fortunately begins to see the error of his ways, and at the end of the film, he makes the difficult decision to discard his many suits and avoid being overly anxious. Except, he clearly didn’t stop building, and his anxiety piqued again.

Shortly after getting rid of his many different suits, Tony gets back to work making more. Including a suit that is specially designed to combat the Hulk, and a suit to protect his beloved Pepper. Evidently, Tony is no less anxious after the film ends, and the grand gesture of destroying his suits ends up feeling hollow.

Creating Ultron In Avengers: Age of Ultron

However, that isn’t even the worst thing that his anxiety caused Tony to do. Repeatedly experiencing a nightmare where his friends and loved ones would die, Tony wanted to find a way to prevent any future attack or threat that could cause serious damage. And so, he created Ultron.

Ultron was meant to be a first line of defense. An incredibly powerful artificial intelligence that could help to predict and defend against potential threats to the human race. However, when Ultron saw the destruction and harm that the humans caused to each other, he updated his directive to eliminate people like the Avengers.

While the MCU’s version of Tony built a faulty Ultron that became a menace, there was an appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness from several robots that resemble the Ultron robots from Age of Ultron. This suggests that, in another reality, Tony’s Ultron plan worked.

“I Am Iron Man”

At the end of the very first Iron Man movie, RDJ delivers this iconic line that would not only redefine how superhero stories are told, but also shape the entire MCU moving forward. Despite being given a cover story to help preserve his secret idenтιтy, Tony relishes being the hero known as Iron Man, which results in this iconic quote.

However, the character does a lot of growing after this moment. Yes, Tony starts out as a selfish and indulgent billionaire, but over time, he begins to align with his superhero idenтιтy more than the Tony Stark persona that he initially put on display for the world.

And so, when Tony repeats this line in Avengers: Endgame, it lands in a completely different way. Tony is not bragging, and he’s not trying to claim to be a hero, he is stating a fact, and ᴀsserting his idenтιтy. It’s a powerful moment, and a fitting way to end the character’s story in the MCU.

Iron Monger’s Death

Obadiah Stane was a close friend of Tony’s father when Tony was younger, and they worked together at Stark Industries for years. However, when Howard Stark died, Obadiah was elected to take his place until Tony was old enough to step into the role.

However, Obadiah clearly grew to resent young Stark, and he formulated a plan to kill Tony. Driven mad by ambition and jealousy, Obadiah would go on to build an iron suit of his own, but the Iron Monger suit was flawed, and he ultimately died while attacking Tony Stark.

However, Ironheart has revealed that the public was not given the true account of Obadiah’s death. Instead, it’s widely reported that Obadiah died in tragic circumstances, and his legacy was preserved. However, his son, Ezekial Stane, was made aware of the truth about his father.

Iron Man’s Funeral And Legacy Are About To Look Very Different

Speaking about the legacies of characters in the MCU, Tony’s legacy has inspired and guided several other characters since his death in Endgame. In addition to Peter Parker and Riri Williams, there are many other characters whose lives were affected by Tony’s.

This can be seen clearly in Tony’s funeral scene, where heroes and friends gather to celebrate Tony’s life. Many people came out to support and remember him, and this scene stands out as one of the most touching in the entire MCU. However, this scene looks a little different knowing that RDJ is returning as a very different character.

RDJ has been cast in the role of Doctor Doom, and he made his debut in a faceless cameo at the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But this villain is due to have a much larger role in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, where it is likely he will cross paths with the former friends and allies of Tony Stark.

Evidently, this could shake things up in a big way in the MCU going forward, and potentially affect and alter Tony’s legacy in the MCU. However, as much as things change throughout the franchise, Iron Man and his story remain one of the most powerful and important in the history of the franchise.