When Stark is believed to be dying, he appoints Rhodes as his successor. Rhodes becomes the CEO of Stark Industries, and he becomes the new Iron Man using the War Machine armor. He gives up the role when he discovers that Stark faked his death, but he keeps the War Machine armor on Stark's insistence.
Given that Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man died in Avengers: Endgame, War Machine will take Tony Stark's place as Armor Wars' protagonist. The MCU's Armor Wars adaptation will likely delve into the implications of Tony Stark's death, which may have allowed Iron Man copycats to design their own armors.
Summary. Rhodey, aka War Machine, is confirmed as the ideal replacement for Iron Man in the upcoming Armor Wars, as his characterization now mirrors Stark's. Rhodey's reveal as a Skrull impostor adds a layer of trauma and parallel to Tony Stark's origin story, making him a compelling successor to Iron Man.
Though no plans to bring back Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man have been announced, Tony Stark's legacy is still being felt in the MCU. Riri Williams, who appeared in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and will be the lead character in the upcoming Ironheart series, is in many ways a direct successor to Tony.
Summary. Terrence Howard was initially intended to continue playing James Rhodes/War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but was replaced by Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2. Howard's departure from the role was partly due to a significant decrease in pay, which created tension between him and Robert Downey Jr.
"Tony Stark's story is far from over," Downey said. "Iron Man 4 will explore new dimensions of the character and his legacy through the eyes of Morgan.
Considering War Machine's powers come from the same source as Iron Man's, he should be on his same level of power, but Tony Stark has always been several steps ahead.
Robert Downey Jr. may have recently won his first Oscar for Oppenheimer, but he's not looking to run from his Marvel past. In fact, the actor says he'd “happily” return as Tony Stark/Iron Man.
MORE: Robert Downey Jr. isn't coming back as Tony Stark, Marvel Studios president says. Tony Stark sacrificed himself to snap away Thanos at the end of 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told Vanity Fair in December, "we would never want to magically undo it in any way."
Morgan Stark appears in The Invincible Iron Man. Morgan H. Stark appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Avengers: Endgame, portrayed by Lexi Rabe. This version is the daughter of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts who was born in 2018.
When the character was first introduced in the comics, the character's creator was quoted saying that Riri was smarter than Tony Stark. But in the cinematic version, the characters might be too comparable to be ranked, at least for now.
As far as who can replace him as iron man, it depends on what they want to do with the character. James Rhodes could take the mantle of him. There are also rumors that the kid in Iron Man 3 might. It's possible that nobody will.
Tony Stark's role in team-up movies outweighed the need for a fourth Iron Man solo film in the MCU. Marvel focused on developing new heroes post-Iron Man 3, making room for iconic characters like Black Panther and Doctor Strange.
Tony Stark's best friend, James Rhodes, is one of the few to wear the Iron Man armor, other than Tony Stark himself. Although he initially took on the role when Stark was dealing with his demons, Rhodes has reprised the role over the years.
However, once they cleared the air, Tony took it upon himself to upgrade the War Machine armor and make it almost as cool as his own suits. The War Machine Mark II was a vast improvement over its predecessor and was actually designed as a sophisticated military-grade weapon rather than a limited prototype.
Summary. Rhodey has been replaced by a Skrull impostor since the events of Civil War, missing out on major events in the MCU such as the Battle of Wakanda and the Blip. The real Rhodey is unaware of Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame and the funeral that followed, as he has been in stasis the entire time.
Today, @MyTimeToShineH reported that Chris Evans will reprise the role in Avengers: Secret Wars. He may feature in the untitled Avengers 5, but we don't know. The actor is expected to return to the MCU this summer as the Human Torch in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Does Robert Downey Jr. want to return as Iron Man?
Robert Downey Jr. would "happily" return to play Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "It's too integral a part of my DNA," Downey told Esquire of playing Tony Stark, in an interview published Monday. "That role chose me."
A successful inventor, James is the son of Tony Stark and Janet Van Dyne's Wasp - two founding Avengers who have dated in the past. However, he's also named for another Avengers hero - James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, aka the War Machine.
Downey Jr. became sober in 2003 and has remained so ever since. In 2016, he was pardoned for his 1996 drug conviction. The pardon restored his voting rights and is a public proclamation that the person has demonstrated "exemplary behavior," according to the governor's website.
Steven Grant Rogers is a fictional character primarily portrayed by Chris Evans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly known by his alias, Captain America.
Tony Stark's immensely powerful suit of armor is enough to keep him alive in a battle against the mightiest of Jedi. The Iron Man technology can create shields of all kinds, and absorb and convert energy, which should be sufficient to protect Tony from the Force.
In Ultimate War #4 by Mark Miller and Chris Bachalo, Colossus shows the true extent of his power when he faces down, and is able to beat, members of the Ultimates on his own. Colossus is able to stop Ultimate Iron Man in his tracks after Tony attempts to ram into him at full speed.
In general Superman would win round one easily. He could literally cut the armor off Tony without scratching him. On the other hand given time to prepare Tony Stark would give Superman a good run for his money in round two before eventually being defeated there too. Superman is a few grade levels above Iron Man.
