Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is just over a month away, and there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the sequel is the MCU movie to see this year. It will tell a massive story that should include plenty of surprising superheroes in addition to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen), Wong (Benedict Wong), and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). One of those Doctor Strange 2 cameo surprises might be Tony Stark.
However, it won’t be the Iron Man variant fans want to see back in Doctor Strange 2. Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark died at the end of the last Avengers movie.
That said, the Iron Man Doctor Strange 2 rumor keeps returning in one way or another. And we have another exciting version that would let Marvel bring Tony Stark back. Before we look at it, you should know that big Multiverse of Madness spoilers might follow.
Who is the Superior Iron Man in Doctor Strange 2?
Ever since the Doctor Strange 2 Super Bowl trailer, fans have been speculating that Marvel is about to drop a different variation of Tony Stark. They say this variant will actually be a stronger Superior Iron Man, inhabiting a different reality.
Marvel’s trailer already confirmed that Professor X (Patrick Stewart) will appear in the movie. We expect him to be the leader of the Illuminati. A different Captain Marvel variant, which some took for this Tony Stark alternate version, will also be part of that team. That’s according to the same trailer. And rumors say Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) has become Captain Marvel in this universe.
Then there’s the Doctor Strange 2 trailer that gives us the shield of Captain Carter. We expect Hayley Atwell to play a variant of the character we’ve discovered in What If…?.
There’s no confirmation that Tony Stark will appear in Doctor Strange 2 in any of this. But there is a big clue that an Iron Man variant is lurking around. The Ultron sentries that guard Doctor Strange in the trailer are in defense of humans. We see them attacking someone in the trailer, probably Wanda.
All that tells us is that the Tony Stark that made them actually completed the Ultron program. This reality has the robotic defense that the MCU’s Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) failed to deliver.
But it’s hardly enough to confirm that there’s a Superior Iron Man in the alternate reality where Professor X leads the Illuminati.
The new Iron Man rumor
That didn’t stop all the Multiverse of Madness Iron Man leaks. Many of them focused on Tom Cruise finally playing Tony Stark in the MCU. He is the actor Marvel wanted for the role that went to RDJ. And Doctor Strange 2 is the perfect place to deliver such an amazing Tony Stark cameo.
But the jury is still out on that one. It seems like Tom Cruise is coming to the MCU, but it’s not clear if he’ll appear in Doctor Strange 2 or whether he’ll play Tony Stark.
Then there’s also the possibility of having RDJ back to the MCU after Tony Stark’s heartbreaking death in Endgame. He could play a different variant of Iron Man, although we’ve hardly had any rumors to support that idea.
This brings us to the new Doctor Strange 2 Tony Stark rumor that delivers an exciting twist.
The Iron Man variant we might see in Doctor Strange 2 would be a drone equipped with Tony Stark’s consciousness. If accurate, this is the sort of development that would let Marvel keep the Iron Man secret. The studio could even have RDJ voice such a Superior Iron Man variant. And fans will immediately recognize him.
We did have theories in the past that Marvel could use this trick to have RDJ back in the MCU. Tony Stark would still be dead and buried, but a digital version of him would exist to power AI projects.
That said, we have no way of verifying this wild Doctor Strange 2 rumor. We’ll just add it to the pile of other Tony Stark claims that we saw so far this year in connection with the upcoming blockbuster.
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