MCU Phase Four: 8 Marvel Legacy Heroes Who Need To Appear

Replacing Robert Downey Jr. will be near-impossible when that fateful time comes. Tony Stark is the father of the MCU and Downey's smart-alec performance is beloved by all. Still, the Iron Man mantle is too big a part of the Marvel universe to retire with him. The best idea, then, is to have the next Ironclad hero be a completely different character. Enter Riri Williams, AKA Ironheart.

If you are not familiar with Riri, don't worry - she is the most recent character on this list as she only debuted last year. When Tony was put in a coma, an A.I. of himself he had pre-programmed picked the teenage prodigy to be his successor after she built her own homemade version of the Iron Man armour.

It's too early to tell whether Riri will have a long history, but she does come from the mind of Brian Michael Bendis (creator of Jessica Jones, Miles Morales, and many more) so there is a good chance of that. Her popularity would definitely go through the roof if she made the jump to the movies in the next few years.

Plus, if it's at all possible, Marvel could keep the idea of Tony as her A.I. - allowing Downey to play a voiceover role ( à la Jarvis) rather than stay on in the flesh.