Doctor Strange Reviews: 10 Big Things We Learned
7. Tony Stark's Replacement…
One of the biggest questions hanging over the entire MCU is what is going to happen when contracts end and the actors playing the staple characters are done with pretending to be heroic super-humans. Well, it seems like Doctor Strange is being groomed to step into a particular set of iron shoes.
USA Today's Brian Truitt alludes to this, saying "Benedict Cumberbatch plays Stephen Strange with enchanting spirit and a clever wit, giving comic-book movies another goateed icon who can hang alongside Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark.” With Mike Ryan at Uproxx spelling it out "...Stephen Strange will be their new go-to character as Downey (now 51) isn’t going to play Tony Stark forever."
That the reviews are so confident that this is the path Marvel will be taking is a sign of relief as Downey Jr. is going to leave a big hole when he inevitably exits the franchise. Strange as his replacement seems like a good fit and assures us that the at least the beard ratio will thankfully remain the same.