I’m Even More Curious About Whether The MCU’s Ironheart Will Use An AI Iron Man Like In The Comics Now Robert Downey Jr Is Back As Doctor Doom

Robert Downey Jr returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom makes the concept of the franchise bringing Tony Stark back as an AI like they did in the comics all the more interesting. With Iron Man being the hero who brought the MCU timeline to life - and the hero who bravely sacrificed himself to save half of all life in the universe in Avengers: Endgame - it"s understandable that his story is rightly considered one of the franchise"s biggest. Interestingly, upcoming MCU releases look as though they might also add new chapters to Iron Man"s story.
Robert Downey Jr"s return as Doctor Doom has been the subject of some major discussion, since it raises major questions about whether the MCU will address Doom looking like Iron Man, and how this will factor into the next chapters of the franchise"s story if it is indeed the case. Interestingly, this also changes how some other major Marvel comic storylines look for the MCU as well, including one wherein Iron Man returns as an AI and works alongside Ironheart.
Ironheart Mirroring The Comics' AI Tony Stark Seemed Possible But Unlikely After Iron Man's Avengers: Endgame Ending Close In the comics, Ironheart spends a notable amount of time working with and learning alongside Iron Man during a period wherein the character is in a coma following the Civil War 2 storyline. Instead, the comics have an AI version of Tony Stark created by the man himself assisting Riri, and operating as a version of the character who could have an active role in storylines while the original Tony could not.
Iron Man enters a coma at the end of Civil War II following a fight with Captain Marvel, which then saw Doctor Doom pick up the Iron Man mantle for a period of time.
Given Tony Stark dying at the end of Avengers: Endgame creates a not dissimilar setup for the MCU, there have been theories about the idea that Tony may have created a similar AI in the on-screen franchise. Since the hologram message Stark records for his death shows Iron Man was planning for a scenario where he might not be around any longer - and since his decision to posthumously give Spider-Man EDITH in Spider-Man: Far From Home underscores his focus on helping those who remained in their heroic endeavors - this idea isn"t unfathomable for the MCU.
However, the main issue with this is the way in which it can be seen to tamper with the MCU Iron Man"s legacy. Having Robert Downey Jr"s Tony Stark return in any way following his Endgame sacrifice would be to add another chapter onto his story - even if just for his AI doppleganger - and would thus establish that Endgame wasn"t the last chapter for Iron Man"s MCU arc, risking undermining the impact of this initial ending. With that said, more recent MCU developments make this seem like less of a pressing concern.
Robert Downey Jr's Return To The MCU Makes An AI Tony Stark Storyline Seem Far More Possible For The Franchise Close The sanctity of Robert Downey Jr"s Iron Man ending in the MCU is already being adjusted as a result of the actor"s confirmed return as the franchise"s next major antagonist, Doctor Doom. It"s also been established that, while Victor Von Doom is his own separate seeming MCU character, his story will interact with the death of RDJ"s Iron Man in some way, as when asked about how the actor could return as Doctor Doom after being Iron Man in an interview with The Times, Anthony Russo responded that "We can’t explain that as it’s part of the story".
The MCU also being willing to have Tony Stark appear in AI form for Ironheart"s story does seem more likely than it did previously with this context in mind. While previously having Robert Downey Jr return in the MCU in a different form seemed to bring Iron Man up after his story was essentially done, the actor returning as Doom - and his story seeming to tie into Iron Man"s anyway - means there"s a precedent for this now, especially since an AI Stark seems less intense than Doctor Doom looking like Iron Man in terms of changing Stark"s overarching MCU story.
On a similar note, with Robert Downey Jr currently already back in the franchise, it appears as though having him film scenes for a prospective AI Stark would be easier to make work, particularly if these scenes would be in an installment that the actor was already set to appear in as Doctor Doom in the first place, making the logistics side of things look potentially smoother as well. With that said, I still don"t know whether the theories about this possibility will end up becoming reality for a few reasons, even if the new landscape for the MCU makes them more viable and more interesting.
It's Still Hard To Say Whether The MCU Would Want To Bring The Main Universe's Iron Man Back In This Way Close With the MCU"s Ironheart show having finished filming in 2022, it"s unlikely that Robert Downey Jr appearing as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday will factor into the decisions made in the show itself, and rather would potentially instead factor into other installments that Riri might appear in during this time. However, even with Robert Downey Jr having returned after Tony Stark"s Avengers: Endgame death - and with return cameos broadly being more prevalent thanks to Deadpool & Wolverine and Avengers: Doomsday"s cast lists - whether the MCU will use the AI Iron Man story isn"t clear.
Doom"s MCU appearance would theoretically make Downey Jr returning as an AI Iron Man more possible, but it would also make it less of an exciting plot twist and more of a move that once again continues to center the franchise around Iron Man. This would be a complicated decision to say the least, since short of a reboot - that could arguably prove even more controversial if it revives dead characters - Tony Stark is gone in the main universe, meaning building further framework around the character risks misusing time that could be spent paving the road to a new future.
Though the comics pull off this storyline and make the AI Tony his own separate and interesting entity, this ostensibly works because the original comic Iron Man"s story is not done here, and the two are able to meet and join together later in the comics, with AI Tony becoming the Iron Man suit"s operating system. Having a version of this story take place after the living Iron Man is gone thus raises complications that the MCU may not want to try and sift through, even if the overall setup for this story seems easier now.

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Created by Kevin Feige First Film Iron Man Upcoming Films Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, Blade (2025), The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday (2026), Avengers: Secret Wars First TV Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Upcoming TV Shows Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Wakanda, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, Wonder Man, Vision Quest Cast Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors Expand See at Amazon See at Target See at Walmart Upcoming MCU Movies