Only the great Stan Lee has made more MCU appearances than Robert Downey Jr., whose Tony Stark will be going up against Marvel’s Mad Titan in 2018.
We are, of course, referring to Avengers: Infinity War, the super-sized sequel coming by way of Joe and Anthony Russo. Having earned their stripes on The Winter Soldier and last year’s similarly epic Civil War, the Russo Brothers have been tasked with orchestrating what is undoubtedly the biggest Marvel movie in the history of Marvel movies so, you know, no pressure.
Championed as the studio’s “deadliest showdown” yet, speculation is rife that a number of characters (Black Widow? Loki?) will bite the bullet in either Infinity War or its as-yet-untitled sequel, but a new and somewhat dubious fan theory composed by Screen Greek suggests that viewers needn’t worry about the wise-cracking Tony Stark.
They allege that Iron Man’s arc reactor is actually an Infinity Stone, thus explaining why Loki was unable to influence Stark at the tail-end of Avengers. Screen Geek’s report also points to the Infinity War trailer scene in which RDJ’s billionaire pulls off the ol’ dramatic sunglasses removal, before claiming that Stark has freedom of movement while his fellow heroes – namely Doctor Strange, Hulk, and Wong – do not.
Again, it’s a stretch, and we can’t imagine any scenario in which Iron Man’s arc reactor turns out to be the sixth and final Infinity Stone. Still, it’s fun to speculate, but perhaps our time would be better spent catching up on the MCU.
After 10 years and 17 films’ worth of build-up – Black Panther notwithstanding – Avengers: Infinity War is prepped and ready to deliver a huge climax on May 3rd, 2018. Select international countries, including the United Kingdom, will welcome Marvel’s sequel a little early, which only highlights the continuing importance of the overseas box office.