White Vision Can Prevent Phase 5’s Iron Man Return Problem

The return of Iron Man in the MCU could be problematic, but White Vision can be the perfect tool for the franchise to avoid the issue. Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark, a.k.a Iron Man, helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a pop culture behemoth, culminating in his heroic death in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Tony's A.I. assistant J.A.R.V.I.S. has gone through a major arc of his own, becoming Vision after being implanted into a robotic, humanoid body in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Vision himself died at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin) in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War before being revived in the Disney+ series WandaVision as both Hex Vision and White Vision. The ending of WandaVision sees White Vision regain his memories and part ways from Westview and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), leaving his future role in the MCU ambiguous. However, Vision's best return would be in the upcoming Disney+ series Ironheart, especially since this could help the MCU avoid the temptation to bring Tony Stark back.

Why The Ironheart Show Is White Vision's Best Return

Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) makes her MCU debut in 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in which she builds her own version of Tony Stark's Iron Man suit to become the superhero Ironheart. Riri's MCU origin reworks her comic book backstory somewhat, with Riri being an MIT student who builds her suit after Tony's death. By contrast, the comics show Riri as an apprentice of Tony's, with an A.I. version of Tony Stark guiding her in her comic book origin story.

With Tony dead, White Vision could fit the cast of Ironheart as a mentor to Riri, with White Vision already being an A.I. brought to life by Tony. Indeed, White Vision's origin as Tony's A.I. J.A.R.V.I.S. makes him even more perfect as a surrogate (and very literal) Iron Man to serve as Riri's closest ally. Most of all, bringing White Vision into Ironheart would enable the MCU to preserve Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame.

Why The MCU Needs To Avoid Reviving Iron Man

In the climactic battle of Endgame, Tony Stark is given one of the most memorable send-offs in big-screen history. Getting hold of the six Infinity Stones, Tony quips to Thanos, "And I....Am....Iron Man" before snapping Thanos and his army into oblivion. This ultimately costs Tony his life, but such a powerful heroic sacrifice is far too grand of an exit for the MCU to undo, even if Riri's MCU origin is a bit sadder due to Tony's absence from the MCU.

Even Downey returning to voice an A.I. version of Tony would still bring Tony's snark and knack for quips back into the MCU at the expense of a masterful ending. The MCU's post-Endgame movies and shows have seen a far more mixed reception compared to the MCU's first three phases, which would make reviving Tony Stark an enticing proposition for the franchise. However, with White Vision so well-suited to aid Riri Williams on Ironheart, Iron Man's legacy is best left as that of a technological genius who sacrificed himself to save the universe.