This year sees the release of Marvel’s mega blockbuster Avengers: Age Of Ultron, when audiences will become mesmerized by the world’s mightiest superheroes as they embark on another city-destroying battle against evil. There’s little doubt in anyone’s mind that it will smash box office records and probably net more than any other pic this year. However, none of that would be possible without the one film that started it all: Iron Man. The charming playboy billionaire-turned-inventor wowed audiences in 2008 and has since served as the lynchpin for the Avengers. So, will we see him return for another solo pic in Iron Man 4?
That’s the billion dollar question, because after Robert Downey Jr. went back and forth last year on the subject, it was impossible to glean a definitive answer. Since then, we’ve learned that his original contract expired after he completed work on Iron Man 3, and was afterwards extended to include Age Of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War. Anything past that, however, has yet to be revealed.
According to Wam Bam Pow (via Cinema Blend), the fate of Iron Man’s future exploits won’t rest on Downey Jr.’s shoulders, but on a much shorter pair belonging to Ty Simpkins. Who’s that, you ask? Well, he’s no stranger to Stark. He made his first MCU appearance in Iron Man 3 as the loveable scamp Harley Keener, who assists Tony in tracking down The Mandarin. This latest rumour suggests that when Downey Jr. hangs up the suit, Simpkins is in line to take over the gig for the fourth instalment that’s set to land in 2019. That date would have the supposed sequel landing in theaters after the final chapter of Avengers: Infinity War.
At this point, it’s probably best to chalk this up to speculation and rumour and leave it at that. Yet, there’s still a nagging feeling that this could pan out for the studio. By the time Infinity War is wrapping up in cinemas, six years will have passed since the last Iron Man solo pic, and two years since Stark appeared in a Marvel movie. Is that sufficient time to give the character a reboot? Or should Marvel leave Stark alone?