Why I'm Okay with No Iron Man 4

In a recent interview with Variety, Robert Downey Jr. stated that there are currently no plans in the work for an Iron Man 4.  This is not exactly surprising.  Although signed on for the next two Avengers, he was never contracted for any additional Iron Man films.  At 49-years-old, the prospect of continuing the incredibly physical role of a superhero has to be more than just a little daunting.  And although I recently speculated on the subject of a fourth Iron Man film, I am generally fine with the promise of none.

Now, that's not to say that I don't want to see an Iron Man 4, because I do.  After the Captain America films, the Iron Man franchise is the one that Marvel has done the best work with (even after taking into account Iron Man 2).  Before 2008, Tony Stark was a mainstream non-entity with the same level of popularity as Thor or Ant-Man.  In 2013, despite a smaller budget, Iron Man 3 outperformed Man of Steel at the box office by over $117,000,000 dollars.  Marvel somehow took an alcoholic, narcissistic prick - himself played by an alcoholic, narcissistic prick - and turned him into the breakout character of not just Marvel's Phase 1, but of the post-millennial film scene.

What's even more unfortunate is that Marvel seems to have finally gotten the hang of this particular franchise.  Yes, Iron Man was a resounding success for Marvel and single-handedly launched the company's cinematic universe, but it still suffered from "The Marvel Problem" - a solid, although forgettable, villain that ends up only being functional within the narrative.  How much to do we really care about Iron Monger (or Whiplash or Red Skull or Malaketh) beyond the fact that they're evil and in need of a good thrashing by whatever Avenger we've paid $10 or more to see?

Although far from being a bad film, Iron Man 2 is by far Marvel's weakest outing to date.  Whiplash was far less interesting than even Iron Monger was, the plot barely treads water and Justin Hammer and Senator Stern are tied for the most unendurably obnoxious character in the MCU's ten-film canon.  What really strikes me about the film is that is seems like it was rushed into production with the sole purpose of capitalizing on the unprecedented popularity of the first film.  It understands what people loved about the first movie - Robert Downey Jr's iconic performance, Tony's playful, bad-boy demeanor and the brilliantly-rendered Iron Man armor - without really understanding why people loved it.

Iron Man 3, however, realized not only what made Iron Man awesome, but why as well.  It even managed to solve the aforementioned "Marvel Problem" by giving us the MCU's most memorable villain to date: Ben Kingsley's Trevor Slattery / The Mandarin.  It was funny, exciting, intelligent and even managed to pull off a cute kid "sidekick" without throwing him in a pint-sized suit of armor and pitting him against a bunch of Extremis soldiers.  It didn't just realize that Tony Stark was more than "a man in a can," but made it its central theme.

"You can take away my house, all my tricks and toys, but one

thing you can't take away - I am Iron Man."

The reason why I am fine with the current hold on Iron Man films - despite loving the franchise and the new, unexpected directions that they've decided to take with it - is because there's so much more to Marvel, and even Iron Man, than just Tony Stark.  Marvel is creating an entire universe of characters, not just Stark & Friends.  Their rapidly expanding roster of characters, franchises and potential franchises is beginning to outpace what they can produce in the five or six films per phase that they've currently managed.

Phase 3 already has Ant-Man, Captain America 3, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Avengers 3, with maybe one open slot remaining.  Is that where you stick Iron Man 4?  Why not follow Nick Fury on his solo mission to Europe?  What about Black Widow's soul-searching journey after Captain America: The Winter Soldier?  Whatever happened to Hawkeye, who's been strangely unseen since The Avengers?  Or is this where you stick a Thor 3 or The Incredible Hulk 2 (or maybe even Planet Hulk)?  You can't explore these facets of the MCU without taking a break from another, and Iron Man has simply had more exposure than any other Marvel hero.

Marvel could also take their Phase 2 philosophy of shaking up everything that they've established in Phase 1 by taking the entire franchise in a new direction.  I would love seeing a War Machine movie: a darker, edgier film with Rhodey running covert ops - basically like a cross between Iron Man and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  Don Cheadle is certainly a strong enough actor to headline his own film and I am confident that Rhodey will prove to be a thoroughly interesting character when he's finally free from Tony's shadow.

What about Pepper Pots?  She has consistently proven herself to be more than just a romantic lead or damsel in distress, convincingly saving Stark from Killian in Iron Man 3.  What if her Extremis abilities resurface, making her a prime Avengers candidate in her own right?  Either option should provide ample life to the franchise without Iron Man headlining the show.

Regardless of what future Iron Man has in the MCU, I am not concerned by his current state of moratorium.  He's still scheduled to show up in both Avengers 2 and 3, where he will doubtless steal a scene or two.  And with innumerable cameos to come, even without another solo film, we're far from seeing the last of Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man.