Marvel is bringing Iron Man back to the MCU, and this leak proves it

Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is the superhero who was the catalyst for Marvel’s monstrous MCU success. The "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" Tony Stark helped create and lead the Avengers, and he got a fantastic arc over more than a decade of stories. Stark got to wear the Iron Man armor one final time in Avengers: Endgame, where he had to sacrifice his life to save everyone else. Endgame is a better superhero movie than most because the stakes seem more real, and everything is on the table. The protagonists do not get to ride into the sunset unharmed — and Stark pays the ultimate price.

RDJ’s contract reached its end with Endgame, and Marvel is looking at the next phase of Avengers adventures beyond what the original team members could offer. Chris Evans also retired his Steve Rogers/Captain America, and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow died in Endgame before Stark. But Marvel has ways of bringing all of them back in the future without ruining Endgame’s legacy. And it looks like RDJ’s Iron Man is coming back to the MCU this summer. Only it’s not quite as exciting as you think. Beware, minor spoilers follow below.