A mysterious poster has some thinking Iron Man 4 could be the next MCU project to get a release date.
Marvel Studios' take on Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) was a mainstay of the super-powered franchise for over a decade, jumpstarting what would ultimately become the MCU.
However, after three solo films and several team-up efforts, the character's big-screen tenure seemingly ended with the death of Downey's Marvel hero in Avengers: Endgame, indicating there would be no plans for any future Iron Man movies.
Is There an Iron Man 4?
Despite no official announcement from Marvel Studios or Disney, supposed promotional material has fans believing an Iron Man 4 release date is around the corner.
A poster for a film titled Iron Man 4 Resurrection surfaced online, with many questioning the project's authenticity.
The poster sees what looks to be Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark back from the dead and sitting on a throne in his Iron Man armor.
This supposed promotional art came sporting a bit of a synopsis for the movie. However, looking closer at said plot summary, it looks to be copied and pasted from Riri Williams' Wikipedia page, as she is the character who will seemingly carry the Iron Man torch going forward in the MCU.
While convincing, no plans have been made public for another Iron Man film, and this seems to be a well-done Photoshop job or the work of an AI generative image model.
This is not the first time fake Iron Man 4 marketing material has tricked fans into thinking the armor-clad Avengers is returning to the big screen.
Fake Iron Man 4 teasers have circled the web for months. Instead of the trailers focusing on Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, most of these fake movies see his teenage daughter, Morgan Stark (played by Katherine Langford in a deleted Avenges Endgame scene), take on the Iron Man moniker, walking in the red-and-gold footsteps of her father.
Will Iron Man 4 Ever Happen?
Despite what some fake posters and trailers may have some believe, Marvel Studios has no plans to revive the Iron Man franchise for an Iron Man 4.
That is not to say it will never happen, though. Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., previously teased (prior to Captain America: Civil War) that he and Marvel were "we’re in the middle of negotiation" for a fourth movie (via Ellen), but that was the last fans heard of the title:
Ellen Degeneres: “Will there be a fourth 'Iron Man?'”
Robert Downey Jr.: “I know there’s going to be a bunch more Marvel movies and they have big ideas of how to do it best and we’re in the middle of negotiation. Blah, blah, blah.”
Ellen Degeneres: “So, yes.”
Robert Downey Jr.: “Yeah. Okay, yes.”
Given that the character has since gone on to die in the super-powered universe, it seems highly unlikely that Downey would return unless it was for a Multiversal cameo in some Endgame-esque event movie.
Instead, it seems Marvel is moving to focus on spiritual successors to the Iron Man films rather than an Iron Man 4 proper.
Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek said titles like the upcoming Armor Wars film will "scratch that [Iron Man] itch."
The character's legacy will also closely be tied to the new MCU hero Ironheart/Riri Williams (played by Dominique Thorne), who has a self-titled Disney+ series on the way.
Ironheart executive producer - and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director - Ryan Coogler previously told Desinerd the streaming series will have "a connection there between her and Tony," albeit one that is "complicated:
"Yeah, yeah, that’s a great question. I don’t want to put any spoilers out there… I know you all haven’t seen the film yet. I know the same for your audience. But yeah, there is a connection there between her and Tony, but it isn’t… it’s a complicated connection."
This could go as far as the armor Thorne's young Avenger wears in the show, with set photos hinting at a Tony Stark-inspired Mark I suit for the character's Disney+ debut.
So, while Tony Stark's Marvel Studios tenure may be done (for now), fans will never be far from the franchise's iconic billionaire genius playboy philanthropist over the next few years.
Iron Man 1, 2, and 3 are streaming now on Disney+.
