Marvel Refuses To Bring Back Iron Man, Say No Way Home Writers

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers say bringing back Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man is essentially a “non-starter” at Marvel Studios. Iron Man was the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe throughout its first three phases, championing many of its characters with Stark tech and witty one-liners. However, it wasn’t until Captain America: Civil War, and the introduction of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man, that he became a mentor.

Following Sam Raimi’s trilogy and Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man films, Marvel Studios and Sony decided to forgo Spider-Man’s well-known original story in the MCU. Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Homecoming saw Peter struggle with being just a "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man" while waiting for an Avengers-esque call from Tony - who many assumed was the MCU equivalent of Uncle Ben. Tony Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame had a huge impact on Peter, which was then explored in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). That being said, Spider-Man: No Way Home completed Watts’ Homecoming trilogy with a bittersweet, multiversal storyline that brought back iconic characters from Sony’s past franchises.

In a recent interview with The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith podcast, No Way Home screenwriters McKenna and Sommers discuss moving on from Iron Man after Far From Home. The pair had to resist the multiversal urge to undo Tony’s Endgame death and position another character, Aunt May, as the MCU’s true Uncle Ben. According to the pair, bringing back Iron Man is a non-starter in the halls of Marvel. Read the full quote below:

I think honestly that's a non-starter in the halls of Marvel, at least in our experience. They just don't really like constantly evoking [Iron Man]. I mean, obviously, Tony cast such a large shadow even after Endgame — which we dealt with in Far From Home — but I think everyone felt like we can't just keep on going to the Tony well.

Spidey's extra arms retract on a bridge in Spider-Man No Way Home

Tony’s presence will always be felt in the MCU, from Stark tech and other scientific advancements to Happy Hogan's continued presence. However, Tony himself doesn’t need to be a focus, which McKenna, Sommers, and, in turn, No Way Home are actively aware of. McKenna goes on to talk about how No Way Home turns the Homecoming trilogy into the origin story no one necessarily expected. When Aunt May uttered “with great power, there must also come great responsibility,” it became readily apparent that she is the MCU’s Uncle Ben, and therefore the biggest influence on Spider-Man. Similar to the losses of Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy, Aunt May’s death forges Holland's Peter into a full-fledged Spider-Man, like his variants.

At the end of No Way Home, everyone in the MCU forgets Peter Parker, which means no more Iron Spider or billionaire benefits. While Sony producer Amy Pascal and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige have said they are discussing Spider-Man 4, there’s no guarantee Holland will return, or that the next film will even center on Peter Parker. No Way Home’s conclusion favors Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. The need to evoke Iron Man in a Spider-Man movie may be over, but Iron Man will live on. While the idea of Downey ever reprising his role remains a “non-starter,” Stark variants continue to appear in other MCU projects like Disney+’s animated What If…? series.

More: MCU Theory: Iron Man Created The Spider That Bit Peter Parker

Source: The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith