Iron Man 3 teased a big future for a new character, but with the latest additions to the Multiverse Saga, the MCU can’t pay it off anymore.
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe expands, some past setups and teases have been forgotten, while others, like one big tease in Iron Man 3, are no longer possible. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) is the hero who kicked off the MCU as it’s known, but not all of his solo adventures were successful, and Iron Man 3 is one of the most divisive MCU movies to date. Still, it was key in Tony Stark’s development as well as that of his best friend, Rhodey/War Machine (Don Cheadle), and even its biggest flaw was picked up and fixed years later.
Set after the events of The Avengers, Iron Man 3 saw Tony Stark dealing with anxiety and PTSD as a result of the Battle of New York. Meanwhile, the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) was leading a terrorist campaign and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) used his Extremis virus on different subjects. Iron Man 3 also saw Tony being helped by a young boy named Harley Keener (Ty Sympkins) after his suit was damaged, and he turned out to be a great ally, as Harley gave him shelter, helped him repair the suit, build new gadgets, and investigate the Mandarin’s plans. Harley seemed to be on his way to becoming a big character in the MCU, but Marvel can no longer pay off this Iron Man 3 tease after what it has done in the Multiverse Saga.
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Iron Man 3 Set Up Harley Keener As Tony Stark’s Replacement
Unlike many other characters, Haley Keener wasn’t based on a comic book character, and instead, he was created by Iron Man 3 director Shane Black, who pitched the idea to Marvel of “a superhero running into a little kid in heartland America”, so there was full freedom to take the character on any direction. However, the quick bond that was formed between Harley and Stark, and the latter leaving brand new equipment and other presents for Harley in his garage, pointed at Harley possibly becoming the next Iron Man once Tony Stark retired or died, but the MCU quickly forgot about him and gave Stark a new mentee: Peter Parker (Tom Holland). 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.
The MCU Already Has Its Iron Man Replacement (& Could Have One More)
The MCU already has its official Iron Man replacement thanks to Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), who has already shown her skills as an inventor, scientist, and hero in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and will continue to do so in her upcoming TV series Ironheart, but she might not be the only Iron Man equivalent. Now that Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) and his variants have been introduced, it’s possible the MCU could see the arrival of Iron Lad, thus bringing another Iron Man replacement.
Now, there’s also Morgan Stark, Tony and Pepper Potts’ daughter introduced in Avengers: Endgame, who could also continue her father’s legacy if the MCU ever chooses to have another Stark taking the lead. The MCU, then, can no longer pay its Iron Man 3/Harley Keener tease as it already has an Iron Man replacement or maybe more, and it’s even more disappointing when remembering that Tony and Harley kept in touch after the events of Iron Man 3, so he surely learned more from the late Tony Stark during that time. Unless future installments in the Multiverse Saga explore Iron Man variants, Harley Keener will be Iron Man 3’s biggest missed opportunity.
