Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are convinced that Robert Downey Jr. will be reprising his role as Tony Stark aka Iron Man after the announcement that the Armor Wars TV series is being redeveloped as a feature film.
Following the announcement that the upcoming Don Cheadle-led superhero project is shifting from a serialized format to a feature-length blockbuster, enthusiasts are speculating that Tony Stark could make a grand return. Fans are hypothesizing about how Downey Jr.'s billionaire philanthropist could once again feature in the MCU, having given his life to save the universe in Avengers: Endgame. Some believe he could show up with a flashback sequence while others are hoping for an artificial intelligence replicating his personality.
Marvel Studios opted to switch gears on Armor Wars because it is committed to "getting the story told the right way." Social media chatter believes that a change to a theatrical release is further evidence that Downey Jr. could reprise his iconic part. The actor first appeared as Tony Stark in 2008's Iron Man, which kicked off the cinematic universe. Beyond spawning two sequels, Downer Jr. has appeared in multiple MCU projects including The Avengers, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Captain America: Civil War.
The fan theories of a Tony Stark return stem from the comic book storyline that will largely inspire the movie. In the comics, "Armor Wars" is a seven-issue Iron Man arc written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton with art by Mark Bright and Barry Windsor-Smith. The story tackles the idea of highly advanced Stark Technology falling into the wrong hands.
Yassir Lester, who was acting as head writer on the series, will remain on board to pen the script for the movie. Marvel was looking at a 2023 start of production on the series but with the recent shift, the project is described as being in early development. No directors are officially attached, and it's unclear where the film will fall in the MCU's timeline.
Cheadle recently confirmed a big part of the Armor Wars plot while attending the D23 Expo by saying, "If you know anything about the lore, and you've read the comic books, you understand that it's a series that was built around Tony's Stark Tech getting out and Rhodey taking it on to go get this tech back from the bad hands, the bad actors whose hands it is in."
Cheadle can next be seen as James Rhodes in Marvel's Secret Invasion, a six-episode miniseries hitting Disney+ in early 2023.
Source: Twitter