Is There Going to Be Iron Man 4? (& What Could It Be About)

All the hearts of MCU fans shattered into a million pieces after Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, sacrificed his life to save the universe in Avengers: Endgame. It was an insanely emotional moment and one that turned the entire MCU upside down. We all thought that Iron Man was done for, but it seems that another film is absolutely possible. So, will there be Iron Man 4?

While nothing has been officially confirmed, Iron Man 4 could really happen in the MCU in the future. Perhaps it’ll be titled differently, and it almost certainly won’t be Tony Stark. However, War Machine is still alive, Pepper Potts became Rescue, and Riri Williams is in the mix. There are alleys to explore.

And what about Pepper and Tony’s daughter, who seemed incredibly interested in her father’s technology? As the MCU progresses, she will get older, so who knows? Maybe she’ll inherit Tony’s title. It’s all speculations and rumors now, but the Ironheart series is coming out soon, and Armor Wars was announced as a movie, so Iron Man 4 is absolutely possible. Here’s why and how.

Is Marvel working on Iron Man 4?

Before diving into guesses, speculations, and rumors, I wish to point out that Marvel Studios never confirmed anything about a potential Iron Man 4 movie. I mean, Iron Man is officially out of the MCU, so unless somebody else takes the mantle or Tony somehow returns (it’s also possible, so bear with me), it’s hard to see a movie titled Iron Man 4 happening.

So, officially, Marvel isn’t working on an Iron Man 4 movie, nor have they shared any plans on doing so. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future, though.

Will there be Iron Man 4?

So, Iron Man 4 is not currently in the works, and it’s unlikely that a movie under that particular title is coming out, at least not in the near future.

It’s more likely that the MCU will get a new Iron Man and that the movie will be titled differently. For instance, we already know that Armor Wars is coming to the MCU, which will be Rhoadie’s (War Machine) first solo movie, based on a comic book storyline of the same name spanning over seven Iron Man comic issues.

One might consider that movie to essentially be Iron Man 4, but it’s titled differently and will probably only mention Tony Stark. For those who hope that Tony will somehow magically return, it’s still a possibility. I mean, the Multiverse means that anything is possible, right? Here’s how it could actually happen.

Who could star in Iron Man 4, and what could the movie be about?

Despite Tony Stark’s demise in Avengers: Endgame at the end of MCU’s Phase 3, the franchise is still marching forward, introducing new characters and reimagining old ones left and right. Assuming that Iron Man 4 will eventually happen, who could star as the lead? Moreover, what could the movie be about? Let’s dig through all the options.

A Multiversal Tony Stark

After Loki Season 1 opened up the Multiverse completely, followed by Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, I think it’s safe to say that anything can happen – meaning, another Tony Stark could appear in the MCU, coming from another universe.

That’s exactly what was speculated before Doctor Strange 2 – rumors swirled around like wildfire that Tom Cruise had joined the MCU as the new Tony Stark and a member of the popular superhero group, The Illuminati. Cruise was supposed to be Superior Iron Man, a powerful but much more unhinged version of the character.

Obviously, those rumors never came to fruition, but that doesn’t mean they won’t happen in the future. I mean, maybe not with Tom Cruise, but an Iron Man from another universe could potentially storm into the MCU – even as a villain or an anti-hero.

Pepper Potts

Another possibility for Iron Man 4 would be Pepper Potts coming in and continuing Tony’s work after his death. We’ve already seen Pepper in an Iron Suit during Avengers: Endgame, donning the superhero name Rescue, just like in the comics. 

Interestingly, that character in the comics also donned the monikers Iron Man (it’s weird, I know), and Iron Woman, so it could be a cool option. In that case, Iron Man 4 could be titled Iron Woman and follow Pepper Potts as she struggles without Tony – raising Morgan (their daughter), becoming the CEO of Stark Industries, etc. 

Perhaps she could come to terms with Morgan growing up, and maybe, in the end, it’ll be Morgan who ends up becoming the new Iron Man. Or Iron Woman. Iron Girl? Whatever you want to call her.

War Machine

Another possibility for Iron Man 4 that might already be happening is that James Rhoades, aka Rhoadie, aka War Machine, will take over as Iron Man. I mean, technically, he already has the suit – the only difference is his moniker.

And, it was just recently revealed that Marvel is turning their project titled Armor Wars from a six-part Disney+ series to a movie to ‘tell the story right.’

Seeing that armor Wars will be a movie, not a show, it could serve as Iron Man 4 – just under a different title. In the movie, War Machine will take the lead in his first solo film, and the storyline will be based on the storyline of the same name from Iron Man comics (precisely, from Iron Man #225-232).

In the Armor Wars movie, Stark’s technology will fall into the wrong hands, most likely Russian, which will prove to be an issue, and a danger for the entire planet. Rumors swirled that Arnold Schwarzenegger will actually join the MCU as Titanium Man in Armor Wars, which is essentially a Russian Iron Man with bad intentions.

Don Cheadle, the guy portraying War Machine, already addressed the rumors on Jimmy Kimmel Live and kind of dismissed them, but it’s not like he’ll go, ‘oh yeah, that’s totally true’ before Marvel gives out that info officially.

Whatever the case may be, it’s a real possibility that War Machine will take the lead as the new Iron Man in the MCU and that Armor Wars will serve as Iron Man 4. However, that’s not the option I’m most excited for…

Riri Williams

In case you haven’t noticed, a ‘new Iron Man’ already joined the MCU with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and will soon get a solo Disney+ series. Riri Williams is known as Ironheart, and the series will rock that title.

In the comics, Riri is a brilliant teenager that recreated her own Iron Suit from scraps. Amazed by her skills and intellect, Tony Stark takes Riri under his wing as she becomes Ironheart, aka the new Iron Man, after he hangs up the blasters/passes away.

Seeing that Riri is here to stay in the MCU, especially after getting her own TV show, we can expect a solo movie somewhere in MCU’s future. In fact, it probably won’t be titled Iron Man 4, but it could be the closest to that as we can get. Here’s why!

Tony Stark’s hologram

Remember how Tony Stark talked to his family and the Avengers as an AI hologram even after he passed away in Avengers: Endgame? I mean, sure, it was only a pre-recorded message, but if anybody could take that and make the Tony Stark AI ‘alive,’ it’s the utterly-brilliant Riri Williams.

I mean, she’s literally mentored by a Tony Stark artificial intelligence through a large chunk of her comic book history. It would be absolutely awesome to see that happening in the MCU as well.

Imagine Robert Downey Jr. returning as Tony Stark for another go, even if it’s for a single project only; the fans would go absolutely crazy – I know I would!

So, to recap, Iron Man 4 is not officially in the making, but there are many ways how it could actually happen. Whether it’s Pepper Potts, Morgan Stark, James Rhodes, Riri Williams, or an AI Tony Stark, Iron Man could return to the MCU sooner than we might think. In fact, Armor Wars itself could potentially serve as Iron Man 4…