Tony Stark could return, sort of. According to a fan theory, the self-professed genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist could make a comeback in the MCU following his tragic death in Avengers Endgame.
Tony Stark, played by the enigmatic Robert Downey Jr., sacrificed himself when he used the infinity stones to defeat Thanos and his army. While the sheer power of the stones destroyed Stark's physical body, one fan uses a comic book storyline to back up a theory that he may still be alive, in a certain way. The theory, posted to Reddit by user Carrot-Imaginary, posits that Stark's consciousness may have become an AI after his physical form was killed. This is reminiscent of a comic storyline that featured a similar outcome after Stark was killed and a new character named Ironheart took his place.
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At the end of Avengers: Endgame, during his funeral, there is a scene where a hologram of Tony Stark appears to be playing a pre-recorded message for his family and friends. However, the fan theory states that at one point, this hologram turns to face his daughter, Morgan, as if it knew she was there. The Reddit post goes on to theorize that perhaps Starks's consciousness was backed up to the Iron Man helmet before his death, and he will one day return to the MCU as an AI.
Considering the comics connection, this theory seems plausible. There’s already an Ironheart miniseries confirmed for Disney Plus, which will follow the character Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorne. Created in 2015 by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mike Deodato, Ironheart made her debut in Invincible Iron Man Vol. 2 #7. In the comics, Riri Williams is a 15-year-old engineering student who designs a suit similar to the Iron Man armor. With the permission of Tony Stark himself, Williams becomes a superhero going by the name Ironheart. After Stark was killed during the comic event Civil War II, his consciousness was uploaded to a device, turning him into an AI who acted as a mentor to the young Ironheart.
While just a fan theory, it makes sense, especially when looking at the history of other AI’s in the MCU. The most notable example is JARVIS, the AI who assisted Tony Stark in his daily life and when he wore the Iron Man armor. Voiced by actor Paul Bettany, JARVIS would go on to form one part of the Synthezoid Avenger Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Bettany was also cast in the physical role of Vision, who has gone on to appear in several MCU movies and the popular Disney Plus series WandaVision.
So perhaps Tony Stark could return as Riri Williams' version of JARVIS, a sassy AI who mentors her through her adventures. This also seems fitting seeing as the older generation of Avengers seems to be passing down the mantle to new characters. Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton will mentor Kate Bishop in the upcoming Hawkeye series and Thor’s previous love interest Jane Foster is confirmed to be taking up the hammer in Thor: Love and Thunder. Fans will just have to wait and see when Ironheart premieres on Disney Plus on a yet to be announced date.
You can watch Avengers Endgame and the rest of the MCU films streaming on Disney Plus now.
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Source: Carrot-Imaginary/Reddit