Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Ironheart episodes 1-3Although manyMCUfans really wanted to seeIron Manreturn as an AI, the newIronheartseries is proving the odds were always low. Following Tony Stark’s epic sacrifice and death at the end ofAvengers: Endgame, several theories emerged with the hope that the MCU might bring him back digitally. However, new MCU developments are cementing the idea that an AI Tony just isn’t in the cards.
In 2025’s newIronheartseries,the MCU continues the story of Riri Williams (Dominque Thorne), who first debuted in 2022’sBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. A former student at MIT seeking to create her own suit of armor inspired by Iron Man, Riri’s journey is less connected to Tony Stark compared to the comics.That being said, there are more than a few reasons why an AI Iron Man in the MCU was doubtful.
Yes, AI Iron Man Was A Thing In Marvel Comics
Created To Mentor Riri Williams
When Riri Williams first appeared in the comics back in 2016, Tony Stark was comatose in the aftermath ofCivil War II.As a result, a highly advanced AI patterned after Tony Stark’s brain was sent to Riri, whose brilliant skills as an engineer had been on Tony’s radar for some time. As such, this AI Tony Stark worked with Riri as a mentor and her own version of JARVIS for quite some time.
Naturally, many MCU fans were hoping that the same would be true once theIronheartspin-off series was first announced. It’d be the perfect way to bring Robert Downey Jr. back to the MCU despite Stark’sEndgamedeath. However, it would have been a more limited role, not unlike when Paul Bettany was simply the voice of JARVISbefore becoming The Vision.
It’s also worth noting thatIron Man kept tabs on Peter Parker’s Spider-Manfrom afar before recruiting him inCaptain America:Civil War.Why not Riri, especially if he caught wind that she was building a suit or armor directly inspired by his own?Seeing how she was a beneficiary of the grant money he gave to MIT, Tony Stark could have easily been made aware of Riri Williams and her work.
The MCU’s Ironheart Has NATALIE Instead
Riri’s Deceased Best Friend
As seen in the MCU’sIronheart, Riri attempts to create her own AI using Shuri’s “Griot” algorithm.Using her own brain to map this new AI, Riri is shocked to discover that this AI has taken the form of her deceased best friend Natalie (Lyric Ross). As a bit of potential meta-commentary, Natalie responds to Riri’s surprise by saying,“Well…who the hell else would it be?”
Rather than an AI of Stark, the MCU has gone with Riri’s second AI modeled after Natalie, her best friend who also died in the comics and debuted as an AI in 2020’sIronheart #1. As a positive, it does make things more personal for Riri as she now has to grapple with this inadvertent creation. However, it does mean thatRobert Downey Jr. is absent fromIronheartaside from offering his support via some fun promos.
A Tony Stark AI Was Always A Long Shot In The MCU
There Are A Few Different Reasons
As much as comic fans would have liked to see RDJ as an AI Tony Stark, it was always pretty unlikely. Firstly, it probably would have generated sentiments that an AI return would have cheapened Iron Man’s sacrifice inEndgame. The high cost of casting such a high-profile actor in any MCU project is a factor as well.
There’s also the matter ofRDJ already returning as Doctor Doom in the next twoAvengersmovies. Keeping that in mind, an AI return was probably even more off the table so as not to add further complexity to the matter.While this isn’t to say that an AI of Tony Stark doesn’t have potential, the absence inIronheartmakes sense, while making odds of it one day happening in the MCU’s future even lower.
