Alden Ehrenreich will be known to most as the actor behind young Han Solo, who made his debut in 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story. Lucasfilm produced the prequel flick in the pre-Disney+ age where it was set on developing big-screen spin-offs in the galaxy far, far away alongside the sequel trilogy, but things didn't go quite to plan.
Solo proved to be the lowest-grossing film in the Star Wars saga and ultimately failed to resonate with moviegoers. Even with the controversy that the film stirred up at the time, there have since been campaigns to make a sequel happen, or at least continue the story on Disney+, neither of which currently appear likely.
Ehrenreich recently secured his biggest post-Star Wars role yet with Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer - a film with among the most stacked A-list casts in history. Now, the young Han Solo actor will make the jump to another major franchise: the MCU.
Star Wars Actor Joins Ironheart
According to Deadline, Solo: A Star Wars Story star Alden Ehrenreich has joined the cast of Marvel Studios' Ironheart Disney+ series in a key role.
Inside Charles Murphy confirmed he is unsure who Ehrenreich is playing, but reports Marvel Studios were originally searching for "a white male in his late 20s." Ironheart was also said to be targeting an actor from "40-49 with comedic chops" to play the rumored child of Jeff Bridges' Obadiah Stane.
Who is Alden Ehrenreich Playing in the MCU?
Ehrenreich just concluded filming in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, where he worked alongside MCU stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Florence Pugh. Now, the Solo star will take his first dive into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Ironheart, but who could he be playing?
The Disney+ series, which stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, has been said to feature "a bunch of tech bros" as the primary antagonist. This group will reportedly include the son or daughter of Jeff Bridges' Obadiah Stane, aka Iron Monger.
Perhaps Ehrenreich will play the son of the Iron Man villain, who in the comics is known as Ezekiel Stane, even though he may not fit into the age bracket Marvel Studios was originally looking for. The Star Wars actor does look similar to certain interpretations of the character, and he even comes from Los Angeles, just like Bridges.
In Marvel Comics, Ezekiel Stane used black-market Stark technology to upgrade himself with cybernetics, biotech, and bio-weaponry as he vowed revenge against his father's killer: Tony Stark. The principle of Iron Man's legacy and technology falling into the wrong hands will be a major part of Armor Wars, so perhaps Ehrenreich will appear there too if he is playing Stane.
Of course, the Marvel world is massive and ever-growing, so there are countless heroes and villains he could play. But with Ehrenreich promised to play a key role in his Disney+ debut, Stane may be the strongest guess of the characters known to appear in the series so far.
Ironheart is expected to premiere in 2023; the Disney+ series is currently filming in Atlanta.
