With Tony Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is now left with a loss that needs to be filled. Iron Man has been the face of the MCU for over ten years since Iron Man was released. While other characters such as Captain America have been featured heavily, it’s really Iron Man who has been the main face, the crown jewel so to speak, especially considering his success launched the entire MCU. While we are all still mourning the loss of Tony Stark, it is interesting to think about who will figuratively take up his role in the MCU going forward.
We have put together a list of the six heroes we want to see replace Iron Man and the four that we don’t.
DO: VALKYRIE
In Avengers: Endgame, Valkyrie was given a bigger role in the MCU than she had possessed before. She was given the title of King of Asgard by Thor. While Valkyrie isn’t likely to be the entire face of the MCU, at this point, she at least deserves to have a larger role going forward.
Hopefully, future movies will focus on this character and giving her more screen time and character development. Plus, if the MCU decides to go in a very different direction than they have before, we wouldn’t be mad about it.
DON’T: STAR-LORD
Star-Lord might be the main character of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but we definitely do not want to see him become the face of the MCU. The character is too comedic overall and too emotional. We saw in Avengers: Infinity War and in Endgame and that he makes rash decisions. Peter Quill is a goofball extraordinaire. He definitely doesn’t have the maturity necessary to be a leader in the MCU, and it would be really disappointing if the MCU made him more of a focus than he already is.
DO: NEBULA
Nebula is another character who is not super likely to become the face of the MCU. She is too much of a side character and too complex for her to just be seen as a pure hero. However, she definitely deserves more screen time and more focus going forward. She has been through a lot and become a hero in her own right. Seeing her become a focal point for the MCU would be interesting. Plus, it’s rather a shame she didn’t get to contribute that much to defeating Thanos, so we hope she gets more of what she deserves in future movies.
DON’T: HAWKEYE
Hawkeye is one of three of the original six Avengers who are left alive and in the main timeline after Endgame. This means he could be a candidate to be the face of the MCU, but we really hope not. The character’s development in the MCU hasn’t been great, and he was pretty problematic with all of the vigilante murder aspects in Endgame. Plus, he’s been set up as a character who is mostly just focused on his family, so making him the focus wouldn’t make a lot of sense. Clint Barton should receive the retirement time he deserves.
DO: THOR
Thor is a strong candidate for being the face of the MCU since he is one of the original Avengers and is so well-loved. He has always been right up there along with Iron Man and Captain America. Seeing him take a stronger role of responsibility would be delightful.
However, since he’s already been in so many movies, it seems like he might not be around for another ten or so years in the MCU. While we wouldn’t mind seeing him be the face of the MCU, it makes more sense in the long-term for it to be someone else.
DON’T: Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange will likely feature heavily in plans going forward in the franchise, but he wouldn’t make a great face of the MCU. The reasoning for this is mostly because he is too similar to Tony in some ways. Strange is basically Iron Man with magic instead of technology. It would be better to go in a different direction instead of having a character with a somewhat similar personality. Plus, having a little more diversity in the future of the MCU would be a smart move.
DO: SPIDER-MAN
Spider-Man is one of the more likely candidates to take over as the face of the MCU or at least it have a major role. There are still likely going to be at least two movies featuring Spider-Man, including Spider-Man: Far From Home, and he will also very likely show up in ensemble films. Spider-Man is one of the most beloved Marvel characters of all time. Peter Parker in the MCU is still young, but he could become the focus and see his growth.
DON’T: HULK
Hulk is another one of the main Avengers who is still alive. Endgame didn’t really give us that many hints as to what will happen to Hulk going forward in the MCU. It’s likely he will still return at least once or twice, and hopefully, we will see him again with Thor and the other Revengers. While we love Hulk, he’s never been set up to be a leader in the MCU. Plus, it seems that focusing on the characters that have already been in the MCU for so long wouldn’t make sense for Phase 4 of the MCU.
DO: BLACK PANTHER
Black Panther is another character who would make a lot of sense to be the face of the MCU going forward. He is clearly a capable leader and is being set up as having the potential to be one of the best and most important moving forward.
T’Challa would make the ideal character to lead the MCU, and we hope that he at least takes a central role even if he’s not the face of the MCU.
DO: CAPTAIN MARVEL
Captain Marvel is another shoo-in for the face of the MCU. She’s such a powerful character, and she is being set up to be a great possible leader. While she didn’t take a huge role in Endgame since that movie was wrapping up Phase 3 stories, we can't wait to see more of her in the future. She’s another character that we want to see focused on. Hopefully, characters such as her, Black Panther, and Spider-Man will be the most important going forward.