The last time viewers saw Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). the climax of Anthony and Joe Russo's 2019 film “Avengers: Endgame,” he used the six all-powerful Infinity Stones to murder thousands of attackers on the battlefield. However, the Stones were so bad with cosmic energy that they ended up destroying his body, leaving him another victim of the Infinity War. Since that film, Iron Man has been referenced in numerous Marvel Cinematic Universe films, most notably in the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” sequel “Far From Home,” in which Peter Parker yearned for Tony's advice and mentorship.
Indeed, Tony's death was so dramatic that the MCU's top leaders were wise to leave it alone. It's true that in comics, death is usually temporary, but it was tasteful to let Tony stay dead. Of course, the same personalities are now working on the death of Tony Stark and the casting of Downey as Doctor Doom in upcoming Marvel projects.
It also looks like Iron Man will return to TV form. According to a new report in Variety, the animated series “Marvel's Iron Man and His Awesome Friends” will soon appear on Disney+, a kid-friendly series that will feature a gentler version of the titular superhero. The title refers to the 1981 animated television series “Spider-Man and His Incredible Friends”, in which Peter Parker worked with Ice Man and Firestar. “Awesome Friends” will see the child version of Tony Stark team up with his best friends Ironheart (real name: Riri Williams) and Iron Hulk (real name: Amadeus Cho).
From the description, it is clear that it is light fantasy for children and will not be canonically connected to any other existing MCU medium.
Iron Man and his amazing friends
The show's logline, provided by Variety, reads as follows:
“To aid them in their superhero endeavors, each (hero) has their own iron suits, which allow them to fly and give each of them enhanced superpowers. Additionally, Iron Man has a Nano-Shield; Ironheart has a Heartbeat Bubble force field to protect people, and Iron Hulk has his powerful Iron Boom and Iron Hulk Stomp (They will) work from their beach base, Iron Quarters (IQ), under the supervision of the super-powerful android Vision and their furry puppy, Gamma, who has her own Iron Pup costume and accompanies the Iron Friends on many of their adventures.
Riri Williams first appeared in the MCU in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where she was played by Dominique Thorn. Thorn will also reprise his role in the live-action series “Ironheart,” which is tentatively scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in 2025. “Iron Man and His Awesome Friends” will star Mason Blomberg as Tony Stark, Kapri Ladd as Riri Williams and Aidyn Ahn as Amadeus Cho.
“Awesome Friends” is a reference to the 2021 series “Spidey and His Amazing Friends,” which was also released under the Disney Junior brand. This show featured child versions of Peter Parker, Gwen Stacey, and Miles Morales, and they were all Spider-People going on gentle adventures. Tony Stark also appeared in this series, but he was played by John Stamos. “Amazing Friends” has no relation to “Amazing Friends.”
The youth of the 2010s loved Marvel's big-screen superheroes, but they wouldn't have been as compelling if they hadn't been given the chance to become ingrained in childhood through cartoons, comics and kid-friendly play. “Amazing Friends” is a reminder that characters like Iron Man and Ironheart should start as children.
