The MCU needs to move on from Iron Man and the Avengers, and Ironheart, ironically, just proved that Marvel Studios knows it. This is despite the тιтular hero being directly inspired by Tony Stark and his legacy in the MCU.
It’s no secret that the MCU has been struggling in the wake of the original Avengers’ departure. The team last ᴀssembled six years ago in Avengers: Endgame, the MCU’s highest-grossing movie and one of the franchise’s best-received movies.
Now, the MCU is gearing up to debut the next iteration of the team, which will comprise several new superheroes alongside Avengers veterans like Thor. This will ostensibly occur in Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, 2026.
The fact that the new team will comprise several lesser-known heroes is an important consideration for Marvel. This is possibly why the MCU’s latest installment name-checked the team’s most prominent member and suggested, rightly, that it’s time to move on.
Ironheart Is A Reminder That Avengers: Endgame Ended Tony Stark’s MCU Story
A Doomsayer Reminds Us Of Tony Stark’s Absence
Ironheart spotlights Riri Williams, a character who historically picks up where Tony Stark left off. This is ostensibly where her debut show is headed, with Ironheart‘s first three episodes establishing her as a genius engineer with a particular penchant for iron suits inspired by Tony Stark’s.
Nevertheless, despite Tony Stark being mentioned repeatedly throughout the first three episodes, Ironheart is concerned with forging a new path. Riri’s ambitions to build something unique were even underpinned by a doomsayer who heralded doom on the streets of Chicago with the line “Tony can’t save us this time.”
He is, of course, referencing the fact that Tony Stark can no longer help protect the world after his death in Avengers: Endgame. As for the specific doom he heralds, there could be several possibilities.
Given Ironheart was filmed (and was supposed to have been released) around 2022, the Doomsayer may have originally been referencing Kang. Now, however, in the absence of Doom, he is most likely referring to the looming threat of incursions. Alternatively, he could be referencing any number of world-threatening invasions, such as the Skrulls.
Even Marvel Knows The MCU Has To Move On From The Original Avengers
It Has Set Up Every Possible Successor
The Multiverse Saga has been overtly concerned with debuting new characters since its beginning, with the Eternals and Shang-Chi making their self-тιтled debuts at the start of MCU Phase 4. Since then, several new characters have emerged as ostensible successors to the MCU’s foremost heroes.
|
Original Avengers And Their Successors |
|
|---|---|
|
Original Avenger |
Presumed Successor |
|
Tony Stark / Iron Man |
Riri Williams / Ironheart |
|
Steve Rogers / Captain America |
Sam Wilson / Captain America |
|
Thor |
Love |
|
Bruce Banner / Hulk |
Skaar |
|
Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow |
Yelena Belova |
|
Clint Barton / Hawkeye |
Kate Bishop / Hawkeye |
At this point, the Multiverse Saga houses a protégé for every original Avenger. Even Thor, a uniquely powerful member of the team, has adopted a daughter powerful enough to wield Stormbreaker. At the same time, Hulk recently debuted his son, Skaar, whose power set will presumably imitate that of his father.
Skaar plays an important role in the World War Hulk run of comics, suggesting a possible future adaptation.
At this point, the Multiverse Saga is primed for new blood as the original Avengers lineup has either aged out or been killed off in the MCU. Ironheart is now one of many who the MCU appears poised to put forward as a member of the Young Avengers.
Then again, in the absence of any announcements about a Young Avengers project, and the fact that veteran Avengers like Thor are confirmed to be returning for Avengers: Doomsday, it feels as though Marvel is nonetheless reluctant to move on. In fact, it seems to be doing quite the opposite.
Why Marvel Has Struggled To Move On From The Original Avengers (And Why RDJ Is Returning)
It Didn’t Set Up Legacy Heroes Enough
Avengers: Endgame was ostensibly a swansong for the original Avengers, and yet the MCU has struggled to move on. The Multiverse Saga had an underwhelming start, with Eternals, Black Widow, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sitting among the MCU’s ten lowest-grossing movies.
As a result, it is hard to see Robert Downey Jr.’s return as the Multiverse Saga’s somewhat last-minute arch-villain as anything other than Marvel Studios attempting to recoup its losses by banking on the Infinity Saga’s biggest star.
It typically falls now to the Infinity Saga’s stars to keep the franchise’s head above water, with Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being among the Multiverse Saga’s highest-grossing movies.
The reason for this is pretty clear – the MCU did very little to set up legacy heroes like Sam Wilson before throwing him into the narrative deep-end of the next saga as the new Avengers leader. Compounding this is the fact that Sam hasn’t been afforded an Avengers movie to star in and help tie the narrative together.
As a result, it is hard to see Robert Downey Jr.’s return as the Multiverse Saga’s somewhat last-minute arch-villain as anything other than Marvel Studios attempting to recoup its losses by banking on the Infinity Saga’s biggest star. Consequently, the doomsayer’s point in Ironheart is ironically redirected at the actor who played Tony Stark.
