Marvel Zombies just replaced Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man in his most heroic moment, and they made the perfect choice. This isn't the first time Downey Jr. has been replaced in this universe, as the What If...? tale it follows already had Mick Wingert taking over voiceover duties following the actor's MCU exit.
In Marvel Zombies Episode 3, several superheroes arrive in Wakanda to meet a zombified Thanos, finally solving a four-year-long Mad Titan cliffhanger. Naturally, defeating the Avengers: Endgame villain was no easy task, which once again required a heroic sacrifice. But as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, was infected years earlier in this universe, which hero could match such a moment?
Unlike the true MCU's Thanos, who was met with a stiff defense from Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Endgame's "Portals" scene, the undead Mad Titan primarily faced off with just three superheroes in Wakanda. The limited defense came from Spider-Man, T'Challa's Black Panther, and a bodyless Scott Lang.
Just as they did in Avengers: Infinity War, Thor, Rocket, and Groot bifrosted into the action at the perfect moment to save their allies. But that didn't exactly work out, as the God of Thunder was overwhelmed by the Power Stone, while his new Guardians of the Galaxy allies were vaporized completely.
As the three Marvel Zombies heroes realized they couldn't win, with Spider-Man even repeating Thor's most famous Infinity War mistake, it gradually became apparent that a sacrifice play was needed to defeat Thanos.
While Avengers: Endgame and Marvel Zombies' heroic sacrifices play out differently in many ways, they also share plenty in common. For one, in both, Thanos had acquired all six Infinity Stones, infusing him with energy and leaving him ready to snap his fingers, leading to the Avengers' defeat.
As Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark was infected much earlier in Marvel Zombies, the sacrifice duties instead fell to Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa. Sadly, the Black Panther remained silent in Marvel Zombies as the animation team opted not to recast the character after Boseman's passing in August 2020.
Nonetheless, a narrating Peter Parker (Hudson Thames) recalled hearing T'Challa say, "Wakanda Forever," seemingly aware it was for the last time. Naturally, this draws parallels to Tony Stark in Endgame, who uttered his most famous line, "I am Iron Man," as he prepared to snap his fingers and make his own sacrifice.
In many ways, Boseman's T'Challa is the logical replacement for Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, granting the hero one last moment in the spotlight and in glory. It's worth noting that this is the same T'Challa Variant that the late star voiced in What If...?, making this the closest fans will get to an epic MCU ending for Boseman.
Additionally, the Black Panther was once planned to be among the MCU's next four faces after Avengers: Endgame, leading the Multiverse Saga.
Therefore, there could be no better hero to replace the famous "I am Iron Man" moment, and no line more iconic to fill the void than "Wakanda Forever."
As the Endgame hero prepared for death due to the Infinity Stones' overwhelming energy, Thanos and his forces from the Chitauri and the Outsiders were dusted out of existence - the same fate to befall half the universe five years earlier.
The nature of T'Challa's Thanos kill was rather different, as he had no such Infinity Gauntlet to match the Mad Titan. Instead, he took advantage of Thanos' own failings, hurling them both into a vibranium reactor that the undead villain opened beneath Wakanda's Golden City, making the ultimate sacrifice to do so.
Of course, hurling the Mad Titan into this Wakandan reactor came with its own consequences, creating the Infinity Storm and Hulk that would fuel Marvel Zombies' storyline and Wanda Maximoff's evil agenda.
Read more about Marvel Zombies' terrifying new Infinity Hulk.
Of course, T'Challa's sacrifice doesn't play out exactly like Tony Stark's, as this Thanos never managed to deliver The Snap in the first place to wipe out half of all life in the universe and prompt the five-year blip.
As such, this moment takes place in Wakanda in a battle closer to that of Avengers: Infinity War than Endgame, effectively merging the events of the two blockbuster climaxes, albeit while setting up something far more cataclysmic.
Will Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man Ever Be Recast?
Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man may have been loosely replaced in his most iconic moment for Marvel Zombies, but one has to wonder if the MCU will ever truly recast him in the red and gold armor, introducing a new Tony Stark.
In the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios has debuted Variants of existing characters and brought in mantle successors on Earth-616, but never truly recast. The doors to such changes will seemingly swing open after Avengers: Secret Wars ushers in a soft reboot of the MCU, recasting the X-Men and, one day, other heroes.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently indicated that, yes, Tony Stark could be recast, but it's tough to tell if that will happen anytime soon. Ultimately, just as characters like Batman and Superman have taken on many forms, the same will eventually be true for more recently emerging superheroes like Iron Man.
Fans shouldn't expect this to be an immediate priority in the next saga, as the MCU will instead be going full steam ahead with the X-Men. However, it wouldn't be surprising if a new Iron Man movie were to happen in the next decade, featuring a younger actor in his 30s to put a fresh spin on Tony Stark.
In the meantime, Downey Jr. will be back in the MCU next year as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, and some fans are convinced that he won't be his only character in the movie and its sequel, Secret Wars.
