1. A New Iron Man
As already mentioned, right now there is a very big question mark on whether or not Downey will even
make another solo Iron Man film. So for Iron Man 4, Marvel will need to find someone else to wear the famous red and gold suit. And given how integrated the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, a reboot along the lines of Batman Begins, Casino Royale, or The Amazing Spider-Man is definitely out of the questionit cant be done unless Marvel also reboots the rest of their universe, and after all the work theyve put into it, thats not very likely. So then were left with two choices: either recast Tony Stark or have another character take over the role of Iron Man. People who only know Iron Man from the movies might find that a bit surprising, but as fans of the comics know, its actually not that rare. Tony has frequently stepped out of the armor, sometimes for only a brief period and sometimes longer. There have been a number of stories where Rhodey has taken over the role of Iron Man, even serving as a member of the Avengers while doing so. The first time Rhodey put on the suit was in Iron Man #170, written by Denny ONeil and drawn by Luke McDonnell. When Tony was passed out drunk and a villain named Magma was attacking Stark Industries, Rhodey had no choice but to put on the armor himself. After saving the day, Tony, who had all but given up on all his responsibilities, told Rhodey to keep the armor while he relapsed into alcoholism. Rhodey remained Iron Man until issue #200, and during that time, it was revealed that since the helmet was attuned to Tonys brainwaves, prolonged use of the armor was giving Rhodey debilitating headaches and making him paranoid and aggressive. The best way for Downey to leave the franchise while still keeping it going without inciting fan rage is to make Rhodey Iron Man for a time. Its a win-win for all involved, as it will allow Marvel to continue to make Iron Man movies, Downey will get to move on to other projects, Don Cheadle will get to star in a superhero movie, and fan anger will be at a minimum. After one or two movies with Cheadle in the role, enough time will have passed that Marvel could then recast Tony Stark.