Since Iron Man met his end in Avengers: Endgame, a proper successor to the character Robert Downey Jr. played for over a decade in the MCU has proven elusive. However, Marvel may have finally figured it out by casting the playboy billionaire's true spiritual successor. Iron Man had a major influence on the MCU's success, thanks not only to his cool Mark suits but to his charm, charisma, and unparalleled confidence.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Asa Germann is set to portray Warren Worthington III, aka Angel, in Jake Schreier's upcoming X-Men reboot, which arrives in theaters on May 5, 2028. Interestingly, Germann originally auditioned for Cyclops, a role that went to Kit Connor, but Marvel was impressed enough with his audition to offer him Angel instead. The actor is best known for playing Sam Riordan in Prime Video's The Boys spinoff, Gen V. He now takes on an iconic character, one of the original X-Men from the comics, who possesses an essential character trait that makes him the perfect spiritual successor to Iron Man in the MCU.
In the comics, Warren is a playboy millionaire just like Tony Stark. He is heir to the Worthington Industries fortune and has lived in luxury his whole life. Warren is charismatic with an outgoing personality, often serving as the morale booster of the early X-Men team, with a noted weakness for beautiful women.
Possessing the gift of flight is obviously one of Angel's impressive superpowers, but his bank account functions as an even more formidable one. He used his fortune to fund X-Factor, the mutant team formed by the original five X-Men: Jean Grey, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Angel himself.
He also bankrolled X-Corp, the mutant-rights corporation founded by Charles Xavier. These exploits mirror Tony Stark using his wealth to fund the Avengers and defend the planet from existential threats like Thanos.
Archangel Succeeds Where Iron Man's Previous Successors Failed
Ever since Tony Stark undid Thanos' genocide by sacrificing himself in Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has lacked a certain flavor. Robert Downey Jr.'s Stark was the "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" who gave the franchise its swagger, and Marvel was naturally inclined to find his successor. The search has proven largely unsuccessful, with most candidates failing to live up to expectations.
Don Cheadle's War Machine was once expected to be Tony's apparent heir, since he knew his way around Iron Man's suits better than anyone and was his best friend. However, James Rhodes never filled the void Tony left, which was more Marvel's failing than the character's. Post-Endgame, the studio handled Rhodes' story poorly, with the controversial reveal in Secret Invasion that he had been replaced by a Skrull, leaving a dent in the character's image.
War Machine was also supposed to headline his own Disney+ show, Armor Wars, which was later reworked into a movie, and there haven't been any significant updates on that project since. Beyond this, Rhodes never really had the playboy millionaire energy Warren could potentially bring to the franchise, although there are other aspects of Tony he could have replicated well if Marvel had given him a proper platform.
Then there was Ironheart, who was bound to fail from the jump due to the character's obscurity in the comics. Ironheart being female didn't help matters either, given how unreceptive the fandom can sometimes be to female leads. Succeeding Iron Man was always going to be hard, even with Robert Downey Jr. providing support to Dominique Thorne when her Ironheart series premiered on Disney+.
Also, besides using a cool mechanical suit, Ironheart doesn't have much in common with Tony Stark to make her a true successor. The two come from very different worlds: Riri Williams' life was shaped by struggle, while Tony grew up in wealth.
Warren Worthington, on the other hand, shares the core temperament that made Iron Man so compelling. Beyond their exterior charm, both have inner demons that haunt them and a tendency toward self-destruction. In the comics, Warren harbors guilt over his father's death; Tony similarly carried the burden of his parents' murder, even though there was nothing he could have done about it.
If Marvel handles Warren's adaptation well, the MCU may finally have its spiritual Tony Stark successor, one with the potential to be even cooler given his impressive mutant abilities, which, beyond flight, include superhuman strength, regeneration, and the ability to heal others.
Angel has already made two live-action appearances, portrayed by Ben Foster in X-Men: The Last Stand and Ben Hardy in X-Men: Apocalypse. Both iterations failed to capture what makes Angel essential as a character, and hopefully the X-Men reboot will do him justice this time.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
