As a reward for his help Tony gave Harley a large variety of new tech to use in the years to come. Eventually, he works with Vic on creating his own armor, becoming the Iron Lad.
Iron Man 3 Set Up Harley Keener As Tony Stark's Replacement
Harley's cameo appearance at Stark's funeral in Avengers: Endgame reignited hope for him making a proper return and taking Iron Man's place, but that's no longer possible thanks to new characters in the Multiverse Saga.
MCU Theory Explained: Iron Man 3's Harley Keener Is A Kang Variant. A Reddit user suggests that Iron Man 3's Harley Keener (Ty Simpkins) was the first Kang variant introduced in the MCU – and, more specifically, he will end up becoming Iron Lad.
Created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, Iron Lad debuted in YOUNG AVENGERS (2005) #1 and is an alternate version of Nathaniel Richards, AKA Kang the Conqueror. After seeing the brutality of his future self, Iron Lad went back in time to change his destiny.
Harley Keener was the son Tony accidentally found. Tony was in a dark place, but there was a kid in Tennessee in need of a new dad. Over the years, they kept in touch, and Tony became the only father figure Harley had ever known. Peter Parker was the son Tony never meant to have.
Most recently, audiences saw Keener at Tony Stark's funeral in Avengers: Endgame. He was already 21 at that point, and hopefully, audiences get to see him again in the next movies.
The kid is none other than Harley Keener, as portrayed by the fantastically named actor Ty Simpkins. We were first introduced to him when he somewhat randomly crossed paths with Tony during the course of the third Iron Man movie, when the superhero found himself without working armor in scenic Rose Hill, Tennessee.
Although it is later revealed that the Iron Lad that brought them together was actually Victor Mancha— Iron Lad ran into Victor's future self when attempting to flee to the Avengers' era, with Victorious travelling back with him and using Victor to hijack his equipment—Kang's attempt to rescue his younger self results ...
Iron Lad is an adolescent version of Kang who learned of his future self when Kang tried to prevent a childhood hospitalization. Attempting to escape his destiny, the teen Nate Richards steals his future self's advanced armor and travels back to the past, forming the Young Avengers to help him stop Kang.
Kang's real name is Nathaniel Richards, and he is a direct descendant of Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four (the character that John Krasinski played in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness).
Peter Parker Replaced Harley Keener In Iron Man's MCU Story
The setup prompted theories that Harley Kenner could become the MCU's Iron Lad, but it also created expectations that he would remain a key part of Tony's future. Instead, Marvel Studios gave Harley Keener's future to Spider-Man.
In the opening moments of Marvel Comics' Kang Dynasty, Kang the Conqueror arrives on Earth with his son, Marcus Kang a.k.a. the Scarlet Centurion. Kang became the first Scarlet Centurion following his defeat by the Fantastic Four as the Egyptian Pharaoh Rama-Tut, setting out to destroy the Avengers under his new guise.
Keener and Stark continued to keep in touch, Stark becoming a father figure to Keener. Eleven years after he met him, Keener attended Stark's funeral after Stark sacrificed his life to defeat Thanos and his forces.
Harley Keener doesn't have superpowers or any physical attributes that would suggest he could be a superhero. But, what makes Keener so impressive is his smarts. In this case, he teamed up with Lunella and Onome to stop a corrupt version of Iron Man from hacking one of Stark's greatest resources.
Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame has left the MCU with a major hole to fill. While characters like Doctor Strange and Spider-Man could become the new faces of the shared universe, it will be Riri Williams who will serve as Iron Man's more direct replacement.
Because of his understanding of time travel, the theory states, Kang is fearful that Iron Man could take him down. It is possible that He Who Remains set up the flow of time in a way that Tony Stark died while fighting Thanos, giving Kang the opportunity time to invade.
Iron Lad formed the Young Avengers around him as protection before Kang inevitably found him in the timestream. Iron Lad killed Kang during their battle but created a time paradox in the process.
The Time-Eater ranks atop the most powerful Kang variants thanks to his assuming Galactus' power. This variant killed Galactus and absorbed the Power Cosmic. He then went on to kill all other Galactus variants he could find, destroying their universes and unraveling the multiverse.
He was exiled to the realm by the Council of Kangs — a group made up of other versions of the villain from throughout the multiverse. Quantum Kang was banished because he wanted to slaughter the council so that he was the only version to exist.
Because of his understanding of time travel, the theory states, Kang is fearful that Iron Man could take him down. It is possible that He Who Remains set up the flow of time in a way that Tony Stark died while fighting Thanos, giving Kang the opportunity time to invade.
Why Kang would beat Thanos. Kang isn't physically stronger than Thanos, and if the two were to square up in a one-vs-one fight then the Titan would arguably win. However, Kang's knowledge of the multiverse means that would quite literally be several steps ahead of Thanos at all times. As a result, Kang wins this battle ...
After returning the Infinity Stones to their original timelines, he remains in the 1940s with his lost love Peggy Carter; they marry and Rogers lives a full life. Rogers chooses Sam Wilson to be his successor, passing his shield and the title of Captain America onto him.
He was also present during the viewing of Iron Man's final message and the rest of his funeral service. However, the God Thunder wasn't as distraught as his fellow Avengers, and it may have something to do with his Asgardian roots.
In an alternate 1949, Carter was met by Rogers after completing his tasks. They lived a happy life together and were married. Steve still wore his wedding band when he reunited with Sam Wilson in 2023, but Steve chose to keep the details of his life with Peggy to himself rather than sharing them with his old friend.
