Tony Stark’s MCU Comeback Reportedly Planned for the Mutant Saga

Will Robert Downey Jr.‘s Iron Man return in the upcoming MCU Phase 7?

Marvel Studios is reportedly “secretly” developing Iron Man 4, with Downey Jr. returning as Tony Stark after playing Doctor Doom, according to Jeff Sneider on a new episode of The Hot Mic podcast.

Jeff says Downey will first return as Iron Man in Avengers: Secret Wars, before starring in a standalone Iron Man 4 film. The project is reportedly planned as part of the Mutant Saga.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Downey as Iron Man… I think you’ll see him in Secret Wars as Iron Man.”

There are also rumors that Prey and Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg is attached to direct the movie, while VisionQuest showrunner Terry Matalas might write the script for Iron Man 4.

In a recent plot leak for Avengers: Secret Wars, it is reported that Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom creates Battleworld, where all branches and timelines merge into a single reality. As a result, most of the heroes become Doom’s slaves, and a few events, including Doctor Strange’s spell at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, are currently listed in the script. Tony Stark is also included.

Tony eventually encounters the Resistance, who convince him to join their fight against Doctor Doom. In an unexpected moment, his memories of the original MCU timeline reportedly begin to return.

Tony Stark will return as a broken man living on Battleworld, with his character described as “a gambler and alcoholic with no memory of his past.”

In a recent interview with Empire, Marvel President Kevin Feige confirmed that Doctor Doom will not be a Tony Stark variant.

Feige said, “People wondered, ‘Is Doom just a variant of another character? Is this just a shortcut to bringing back another character?’ The answer is no. He’s Victor Von Doom.”

For now, the rumors about Iron Man 4 remain speculation, and Marvel Studios may provide an official update after Avengers: Secret Wars.

Here are the leaked MCU Phase 7 movie and Disney+ project lists.