The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand. Especially now that films like Spider-Man: No Way Home have gone far enough to reintroduce dead characters from completely separate continuities. It seems like the film made just about anything a possibility. And, as a result, a new theory has surfaced which suggests No Way Home even sets up the return for Iron Man in the MCU.
Fans will remember that Spider-Man: No Way Home brings back iconic villains like Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Electro all back from the dead. Specifically, they were brought back from their respective continuities and timelines just before they were killed. Now it seems like something similar could come into play with Robert Downey Jr.’s character Tony Stark aka Iron Man. After all, Marvel comics have certainly resurrected such superheroes more than once. It would make sense that Iron Man – the superhero that started it all in the MCU – would have the opportunity to make a comeback in a future film.
As Spider-Man: No Way Home and other such Multiverse-related projects have proven, there are a few ways to bring back Iron Man. One such avenue would be to bring an alternate version of Tony Stark from another universe into the MCU. Of course, this wouldn’t exactly be the same Tony Stark that fans have become familiar with over the years. In fact, it could even give Marvel the opportunity to recast the role entirely. But fans no doubt want to see Robert Downey Jr. in the role – and that’s where Spider-Man: No Way Home comes into play. This particular film literally brought back the exact variations of Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Electro that were killed in their respective films. As such, it’s very possible that Tony Stark could be taken from the events of Avengers: Endgame and thrown into another entry – like Avengers: Secret Wars, for example.
Avengers: Secret Wars is expected to adapt story arcs that include characters from across the Multiverse coming together. So, with that in mind, it would seem incredibly easy to bring in an alternate version of Tony Stark or a resurrected version of the one we all know and love. And given how fans received Spider-Man: No Way Home – Marvel could no doubt be considering bringing back quite a few dead characters in the upcoming film. For example, we might even see Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow make an appearance. It’s all quite possible thanks to No Way Home – so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
Michael Waldron is currently penning the screenplay for Avengers: Secret Wars. A director for the film has yet to be attached.
The highly-anticipated sixth installment in the Avengers series, Avengers: Secret Wars, will be released in theaters on May 1, 2026. This will follow the release of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for additional updates on the upcoming blockbuster and the rest of the MCU as we have them.