Marvel’s Villain Vindication: Iron Man 4’s Key to Fixing Past Mistakes

Iron Man movie villains have been a lackluster lineup, but it is something that Iron Man 4 could improve upon with one key change.

The MCU has a villain problem with respect to one part of its franchise, but it’s something that Iron Man 4 can fix. Since the MCU debuted with Iron Man in 2008, the wealth of live-action villains adapted from Marvel Comics is vast. Many, though not all, of the founding Avengers have gone on to have multiple solo movies, including Iron Man himself, with each one tending to pit the heroes against a new and even greater threat. Some of these villains, like Loki, would then go on to be as iconic as their adversaries.

Iron Man’s MCU legacy is still having ripple effects in the MCU today, both as part of the narrative and behind the scenes of the MCU. Emerging as one of the MCU’s most iconic characters from relative obscurity in pop culture, Tony Stark’s absence after his character-defining sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame seems to have had a huge impact on the popularity of the MCU, which recently suffered a record-breaking box office bomb. The same fondness is not present, however, for Iron Man’s rogues gallery, which is easily the most disappointing in the MCU.

Iron Man’s Movie Villains Are Way More Disappointing Than Other Multi-Movie Avengers

Iron Man’s MCU journey started off strong with Obadiah Stane and the supposed Ten Rings making themselves known in a big way. Unfortunately, the quality of Iron Man villains petered out from here, with Iron Man 3 even going on to cloud the nature of Ten Rings organization before Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings went on to repurpose and improve upon it in MCU Phase 4. Iron Man, instead, was faced with Whiplash, Aldrich Killian, and the human rug-pull, Trevor Slattery. Even the fan-favorite Justin Hammer had his tenure diminished by being Iron Man 2‘s comic relief.

Most of Tony Stark’s enemies weren’t nearly as memorable or terrifying as those of his colleagues. Steve Rogers faced his iconic nemeses in Red Skull, the Winter Soldier, and Hydra. Thor was pitted against a villain who became one of the MCU’s most beloved heroes, the inimitable Hela, and one of Thor: Love & Thunder‘s most agreed-upon redeeming qualities in Gorr. Even later allies like the Guardians of the Galaxy faced off against a litany of foes that were tantamount to gods despite having a limited pool of skills themselves.

Unused Iron Man Villains Perfect For The MCU

A lot of creative liberties were taken when creating the Iron Man trilogy. Aside from retconning the Mandarin – one of Iron Man’s most iconic villains – the trilogy also spotlighted Kilian, who was a minor character in the comics. Whiplash, too, was a far departure from his more iconic father.

Crimson Dynamo Never Reached His Potential

Anton Vanko was the name of Whiplash’s father in the MCU and the name of one iteration of Whiplash in Marvel Comics. This confusing state of affairs tiptoes around one of Iron Man’s most longstanding villains, Crimson Dynamo, which the MCU has suggested was Anton Vanko himself. Unfortunately, Ivan Vanko’s father is dead, and one of the most recognizable abusers of Stark’s tech remains absent from the MCU, though he could stand to have his mantle revived.

Crimson Dynamo made an appearance in the Iron Man 2 tie-in video game, which is not MCU canon but helps to prove that he can be tied into the narrative.

Arno Stark Is Tony’s Long Lost Brother

The story of Arno Stark is convoluted, but one that the MCU could feasibly still work into the wider narrative. Arno Stark is the biological son of Maria and Howard Stark, whom they hid away and replaced with the adopted Tony. Upon discovering his brother, Tony would initially work with Arno, with Arno’s genius rivaling his brother’s. Eventually, Arno would appropriate his brother’s tech and adopt the mantle of Iron Man. Suffice it to say, this would give an interesting premise on which to turn the title of Iron Man 4 on its head.

Zeke Stane

Given that his father was one of Iron Man’s more memorable villains, Zeke Stane could pick up where his father left off. The ongoing trend of Tony Stark having his tech misappropriated by sinister actors – starting with Obadiah Stane – is something that Zeke could easily continue. Zeke could even find himself facing off against the child of Tony Stark, if Marvel was to decide to have a character like Morgan pick up the “Iron Man“ mantle.

How Iron Man 4 Can Still Happen In The MCU

The multiverse saga has opened up myriad possibilities for the reappearance of Tony Stark in the MCU, and Iron Man 4 could still occur as a result. Another route the MCU could take would see another character (like Arno) take on the Iron Man mantle in Tony’s stead. Alternatively, if rumors of a soft reboot for the MCU are valid, there is little to stop Marvel from bringing Iron Man 4 as part of the new, reconstructed universe.

None of these seem as likely, however, as a spiritual successor instead of Iron Man 4. This is already taking shape in the form of Armor Wars, the movie that will reportedly focus on Tony Stark’s legacy while featuring a plethora of familiar faces from the Iron Man trilogy and beyond. Alternatively, the Iron Heart series is bound to draw comparisons between RiRi Williams and Tony Stark. If this lands well, the possibility of RiRi following in the footsteps of Kamala Khan and getting her own movie increases.