It’s been more than three years since Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) died heroically in Avengers: Endgame. We expected that to happen before the movie premiered, just as we started wondering how Marvel would handle Iron Man’s MCU return once we witnessed his death.
There were rumors of RDJ’s return to the MCU. Phase 4 provided the perfect platform to do it. The multiversal events we’ve witnessed so far might spiral out of control to the point where we might see an Iron Man variant join or oppose the MCU’s Avengers. It all could happen without Marvel destroying the legacy of the character.
RDJ can keep playing Iron Man without ruining the character’s tragic death in Endgame.
There might be two possible ways to bring the Iron Man back from the MCU’s primary reality. It can happen without the multiverse and without belittling Iron Man’s sacrifice in Endgame. It’s all thanks to the events in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Before we begin, it is important to know Big spoilers are below.
Iron Man’s return and Love and Thunder
Love and Thunderit is its own story and has no connection to Iron Man or the Avengers. The action takes place long after. EndgameThor is now in good shape again while working with Guardians. However, there are some critical events. Love and ThunderPlease show us how Iron Man might return to MCU.
This is what you should keep in mind. Now is the time to get rid of it Love and ThunderSpoilers. See our spoiler-free guide. Thor: Love and Thunder review instead.
Valhalla and the afterlife
We have been told by the MCU that death is inevitable for every character. But life doesn’t stop after death. We looked at a few places that the soul can go after death. Black PantherThe Ancestral plane was introduced. The Ancestral Plane was then introduced. Moon Knight?, and Love and ThunderFeatures the first glimpse of Valhalla.
The latter is important for Iron Man’s return to the MCU. Valhalla appears in the post-credits scenes. Love and Thunder. Jane (Natalie Portman), dies in battle. Marvel portrays her death in a similar fashion to Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Ragnarok.
Heimdall (Idris Elba) welcomes Jane to Valhalla, and we find out that Heimdall still knows what’s happening in the Universe, including the events in Love and Thunder.
If a human ends up in Valhalla, it is likely that someone worthy of ascension could also end up there. You don’t have to be an Asgardian or a god to get there. And there’s no question that Iron Man proved his worthiness over the years. Like Jane in Love and ThunderIron Man saved Asgardians by his actions in Endgame.
Valhalla allows Iron Man to go back to the MCU using only the multiverse. The truth is that Valhalla, technically speaking, must be some type of another dimension where the souls the dead reside.
Iron Man could still be summoned back into existence if he reached Valhalla. Endgame. That’s assuming resurrection from Valhalla is possible in the MCU. Then again, Moon KnightIt is possible to rise from Aaru.
Eternity is the better choice
Even so, we’re never told what happens to Iron Man after his death. There’s also one more puzzling detail about Valhalla. Thor states that only those who are killed in battle will be allowed to enter Valhalla.
Jane is an example of this. Odin, however, died peacefully in Earth. Ragnarok. Yet the animation of his death is similar to Jane’s, indicating he might have reached Valhalla as well. Put differently, Iron Man’s body doesn’t turn into magical dust at the end of Endgame.
It is not yet clear if Marvel will attempt to drag anyone from Valhalla into the future. But if it does, it’ll better have an excellent explanation for why some resurrections are possible via that plane of existence.
Marvel can make Iron Man’s return into the MCU by utilizing a more powerful godlike entity. We met EternityIn Love and ThunderGorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), was granted access to it. The deity granted Gorr’s wish too. The Thor 4Love was requested by villain to be resurrected.
Love is now back, wielding some of Eternity’s power and using Thor’s Stormbreaker to help those in distress.
What if Eternity were a place where someone else could reach it? Someone like Morgan, Tony Stark’s daughter. Or anyone else in the MCU who feels like Iron Man’s return is the only thing that would help them fight off impending doom.
Eternity is another option to bring Iron Man back, without minimizing his sacrifices in Endgame. This assumes that Eternity still has wishes to grant, now that Gorr did it first.
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