MCU Theory Sets Up Iron Man"s Replacement Perfectly & Resolves An 11-Year-Old Loose End
Summary
Briefly, Spider-Man became Iron Man’s successor, being mentored by Tony Stark and using the Iron Spider costume in combat. But now, even MCU audiences expect Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to have no MCU ties and shine as a hero in his own right. The Multiverse includes many possibilities to resurrect dead characters like Iron Man, but doing so would undermine the emotional depth of his final sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. So, it’s only apt for other Stark armor-wearers like War Machine and Ironheart to lead future Marvel adventures. There’s even another potential successor whom only devoted Iron Man fans would remember.
![]()
Related Ironheart: Cast, Story & Everything We Know About The MCU Disney+ Show Dominique Thorne will star as Riri Williams in Ironheart on Disney+, but who's joining her, and what threat will they face? Here's everything we know. Armor Wars & Ironheart Can Setup Iron Man's Replacements Over 5 Years After His Death Tony Stark Has Both Old And Young Successors In The MCU Close Much like how Sam Wilson succeeds Steve Rogers as Captain America, Tony Stark’s devoted friend James “Rhodey” Rhodes can be a worthy successor to the Iron Man mantle. Since Iron Man 2, Rhodey has already carved his superhero identity under the alter ego War Machine. As revealed in Secret Invasion’s dark plot twist, Rhodey had also been replaced by a Skrull after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Dealing with his best friend’s death and his newfound freedom, Armor Wars can turn Rhodey into more than a supporting character and a worthy Iron Man-like hero in his own right.
On the other side of things is a young Iron Man replacement: gifted MIT student Riri Williams aka Ironheart. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever offered a glimpse of her exceptional skills and ability to build durable armor out of just fragments of Stark Tech. If Riri gets access to more advanced tech and Stark’s blueprints in her solo series Ironheart, she can hopefully develop even more advanced versions of the Iron Man suits.
Rhodey carries Stark’s maturity and leadership, but Riri carries his scientific skillset. Much like how Stark built his Ironmonger armor out of scrap metal, Riri is adept at improvising her technology-building abilities.
Ironheart Can Resolve Iron Man 3's Harley Storyline Harley Can Be More Than A Loose End To Iron Man’ Story![]()
Apart from Riri Williams, Iron Man has another young prospective replacement with Harley Keener, the child that Tony Stark ran into in Iron Man 3. As Stark even left behind some tech for his temporary protégé, it was easy to speculate that Harley could succeed him if the Armored Avenger ever died. But other than Harley’s cameo at Stark’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame, the character wasn’t mentioned again. A Reddit thread perfectly sums up how Harley can be reintroduced to the MCU as a superhero succeeding Iron Man, as Redditor bukanir suggests that an older Harley can become MCU’s Guardsman.
In the comics, Guardsman was the mantle taken by antihero Kevin O’Brien. A friend of Iron Man and a Stark Industries engineer, O’Brien became the Guardsman after his employer gifted him a scaled-down version of the Mark IV armor.
While O’Brien often turned villainous in later storylines, the Reddit thread suggests that Guardsman can get a new origin with Harley. Assuming that the timeline would now make him over 24 years old, Harley could have graduated and been working at Stark Industries, possibly sharing a close bond with Pepper Potts. Gaining access to advanced Stark tech, he could build a new armor for himself.
In the comics, "Guardsman" later became a title for all armored guards working at the high-security prison called The Vault.
It’s only apt for Harley to continue his mentor’s legacy from his industrial complex. The Reddit theory goes a step further, suggesting that Harley would have also been an MIT alumnus and know Riri this way. The armor that Riri used in battle in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could similarly be a redesigned version of an old armor tech project that Harley gave her as a Stark Industries employee. The Redditor adds, “Maybe during that time period they were both working on similar projects and swapping notes.” If this theory is indeed proven true, Ironheart is bound to feature Harley.
Why An Iron Man Team Makes Most Sense To Honor Iron Man's Legacy An Iron Man Team Keeps The MCU Hero's Memory Alive![]()
While fleshing out Harley Keener’s return in the MCU, the Reddit thread also explored how Armor Wars can find Rhodey leading a team of heroes. The plot details for Armor Wars suggest that the new movie will find Rhodey tracking down individuals who have stolen Stark Tech for their evil motives. This will be accompanied by the return of Justin Hammer, Tony Stark’s envious competitor and weapons manufacturer from Iron Man 2. So, if Hammer can build his team of armored villains in Armor Wars, it only seems justifiable for Rhodey to be backed by armored heroes like Ironheart and Guardsman.
![]()
Related Why A Wasted Phase 1 Villain Is So Important For Iron Man's Final MCU Story Recent rumors suggest that a villain from the MCU's Phase 1 might be returning, and he'll be very important to one upcoming Marvel Studios project. The MCU has been obsessed with Tony Stark’s legacy, and usually from a negative stance. This is set to be continued with the seemingly set up Armor Wars being focusing on how volatile and dangerous Stark tech can be even some times after Tony himself has passed.
But the positive side of Stark’s technology can be highlighted by the presence of new-age heroes like Riri Williams and Harley Keener: youngsters whose lives were changed for the better by Stark and his stint as Iron Man. In this sense, Iron Man doesn’t need to come back from the dead in the face of these three replacements, as seeing Iron Man's three technological successors come together could be the way to go for projects like Ironheart and Armor Wars.
- Young successors like Riri Williams and Harley Keener can carry on Iron Man's legacy in the MCU without Tony Stark's return.
- Ironheart and Armor Wars can showcase the positive impact of Stark's technology, with heroes honoring his memory.
- Rhodey, Ironheart, and potentially Harley could form an Iron Man team, continuing Stark's mission with armored heroes.
Briefly, Spider-Man became Iron Man’s successor, being mentored by Tony Stark and using the Iron Spider costume in combat. But now, even MCU audiences expect Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to have no MCU ties and shine as a hero in his own right. The Multiverse includes many possibilities to resurrect dead characters like Iron Man, but doing so would undermine the emotional depth of his final sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. So, it’s only apt for other Stark armor-wearers like War Machine and Ironheart to lead future Marvel adventures. There’s even another potential successor whom only devoted Iron Man fans would remember.
Related Ironheart: Cast, Story & Everything We Know About The MCU Disney+ Show Dominique Thorne will star as Riri Williams in Ironheart on Disney+, but who's joining her, and what threat will they face? Here's everything we know. Armor Wars & Ironheart Can Setup Iron Man's Replacements Over 5 Years After His Death Tony Stark Has Both Old And Young Successors In The MCU Close Much like how Sam Wilson succeeds Steve Rogers as Captain America, Tony Stark’s devoted friend James “Rhodey” Rhodes can be a worthy successor to the Iron Man mantle. Since Iron Man 2, Rhodey has already carved his superhero identity under the alter ego War Machine. As revealed in Secret Invasion’s dark plot twist, Rhodey had also been replaced by a Skrull after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Dealing with his best friend’s death and his newfound freedom, Armor Wars can turn Rhodey into more than a supporting character and a worthy Iron Man-like hero in his own right. On the other side of things is a young Iron Man replacement: gifted MIT student Riri Williams aka Ironheart. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever offered a glimpse of her exceptional skills and ability to build durable armor out of just fragments of Stark Tech. If Riri gets access to more advanced tech and Stark’s blueprints in her solo series Ironheart, she can hopefully develop even more advanced versions of the Iron Man suits.
Rhodey carries Stark’s maturity and leadership, but Riri carries his scientific skillset. Much like how Stark built his Ironmonger armor out of scrap metal, Riri is adept at improvising her technology-building abilities.
Ironheart Can Resolve Iron Man 3's Harley Storyline Harley Can Be More Than A Loose End To Iron Man’ Story
Apart from Riri Williams, Iron Man has another young prospective replacement with Harley Keener, the child that Tony Stark ran into in Iron Man 3. As Stark even left behind some tech for his temporary protégé, it was easy to speculate that Harley could succeed him if the Armored Avenger ever died. But other than Harley’s cameo at Stark’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame, the character wasn’t mentioned again. A Reddit thread perfectly sums up how Harley can be reintroduced to the MCU as a superhero succeeding Iron Man, as Redditor bukanir suggests that an older Harley can become MCU’s Guardsman. In the comics, Guardsman was the mantle taken by antihero Kevin O’Brien. A friend of Iron Man and a Stark Industries engineer, O’Brien became the Guardsman after his employer gifted him a scaled-down version of the Mark IV armor.
While O’Brien often turned villainous in later storylines, the Reddit thread suggests that Guardsman can get a new origin with Harley. Assuming that the timeline would now make him over 24 years old, Harley could have graduated and been working at Stark Industries, possibly sharing a close bond with Pepper Potts. Gaining access to advanced Stark tech, he could build a new armor for himself.
In the comics, "Guardsman" later became a title for all armored guards working at the high-security prison called The Vault.
It’s only apt for Harley to continue his mentor’s legacy from his industrial complex. The Reddit theory goes a step further, suggesting that Harley would have also been an MIT alumnus and know Riri this way. The armor that Riri used in battle in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could similarly be a redesigned version of an old armor tech project that Harley gave her as a Stark Industries employee. The Redditor adds, “Maybe during that time period they were both working on similar projects and swapping notes.” If this theory is indeed proven true, Ironheart is bound to feature Harley.
Why An Iron Man Team Makes Most Sense To Honor Iron Man's Legacy An Iron Man Team Keeps The MCU Hero's Memory Alive
While fleshing out Harley Keener’s return in the MCU, the Reddit thread also explored how Armor Wars can find Rhodey leading a team of heroes. The plot details for Armor Wars suggest that the new movie will find Rhodey tracking down individuals who have stolen Stark Tech for their evil motives. This will be accompanied by the return of Justin Hammer, Tony Stark’s envious competitor and weapons manufacturer from Iron Man 2. So, if Hammer can build his team of armored villains in Armor Wars, it only seems justifiable for Rhodey to be backed by armored heroes like Ironheart and Guardsman. 
Related Why A Wasted Phase 1 Villain Is So Important For Iron Man's Final MCU Story Recent rumors suggest that a villain from the MCU's Phase 1 might be returning, and he'll be very important to one upcoming Marvel Studios project. The MCU has been obsessed with Tony Stark’s legacy, and usually from a negative stance. This is set to be continued with the seemingly set up Armor Wars being focusing on how volatile and dangerous Stark tech can be even some times after Tony himself has passed. But the positive side of Stark’s technology can be highlighted by the presence of new-age heroes like Riri Williams and Harley Keener: youngsters whose lives were changed for the better by Stark and his stint as Iron Man. In this sense, Iron Man doesn’t need to come back from the dead in the face of these three replacements, as seeing Iron Man's three technological successors come together could be the way to go for projects like Ironheart and Armor Wars.
