If you haven’t heard, Robert Downey Jr is very likely reprising his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the long overdue, upcoming Black Widow movie. Black Widow is set to occur between the events of Civil War and Infinity War and it will potentially introduce new characters to the MCU.

Tony Stark Iron Man to appear in Black Widow

For many MCU fans, this news of Iron Man’s return may come as welcome relief. For others, they may feel that Iron Man’s return will cheapen his sacrifice in End Game.

But one thing is for sure, as the MCU’s Phase 4 starts, the faces of MCU are going to change radically. Captain America is now retired. Iron Man sacrificed his life for the greater good. Black Widow also sacrificed herself for the greater good. And Thor will likely pass off the mantle of Thor in his next movie, though he may join Guardians of the Galaxy in a team up. And of course, Disney and Sony parted ways (for now) taking Spider-Man out of the MCU.

So for many, the potential that another familiar face will help kick off Phase 4 is welcome relief. Though some say it is just unused footage from Civil War, which could be a bit of a disappointment. But in case its not, here are some of the best reasons Iron Man should appear in the upcoming Black Widow movie.

What's in this review

There’s symmetry to Iron Man being in Black Widow’s stand alone

Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) first appeared in the MCU in Iron Man 2. She was an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent at the time, posing as Natalie Rushman, a sexy personal assistant for Tony Stark.

Marvel comic fans knew exactly who she was when she appeared. But casual MCU fans and watchers were pleasantly surprised when the unassuming assistant suddenly takes out a dozen or so guards while Happy Hogan (Tony’s driver/head of security) struggled with one.

Since Black Widow’s first movie was with Iron Man, it seems fitting his, hers, or both of their last appearances in the MCU should be in the stand alone Black Widow movie.

There is decent chemistry between Black Widow and Iron Man

How Tony has handled Black Widow has evolved well over the many years and movies of the MCU. RDJ and Scarlett Johansson have onscreen chemistry that plays out in their characters.

When Tony first meets her, it’s pretty clear he wants to bang her. He goes so far as to ask Pepper Potts if he “can have one.” Of course, he finds out about her spying and stops trusting her.

Tony Stark finding out who Black Widow is

And you can still see the distrust play out during the events of The Avengers. Tony may respect her, but he sure as hell doesn’t trust her, Fury, or the entire intelligence agency. But as future Avenger movies play out, he comes to view her as member of the team… at least until the events of Civil War.

During Civil War, his relationship with her ends on rocky grounds since she aided Captain America’s escape. He basically warned her that people were coming for her. This is the last she is seen with him until the events of End Game.

Tony Stark confronts Black Widow after Civil War

So what happened after Civil War and before Infinity Wars should be interesting to watch. How did they make up? Or did they? The Black Widow movie can potential answer these questions by including Iron Man.

Robert Downey Jr. left Tony Stark/Iron Man role too soon

Admittedly, not everyone will agree with the sentiment that RDJ’s departure from the MCU seems too soon. For some, he died a hero’s death and deserves respect. And yes all you smart asses like me, I get it, contracts end and he’s getting tired of the role.

Still, it seems RDJ’s Tony Stark had more he could give to the MCU. For example, he was just hitting his stride with mentoring Peter (curse you Sony and Disney for comparing cock sizes over this and ending the agreement!). He just became a father.

And for god sake, couldn’t Tony retire like Captain America did? And then RDJ could have ongoing, $15 million dollar cameos in future MCU films and become an adviser called upon for sage advice. But no… they killed Tony! You bastards!

Iron Man could help propel the MCU forward

Let’s face a scary truth: the MCU lost or side lined a lot of fan favorites. And though they are certainly looking to add new, potentially amazing faces, the new roles have a lot to live up to.

And some definite fan favorites, like the Fantastic Four and X-Men are years away from their reboots.

Unfortunately, past success won’t guarantee that fans will come out to more than one or two movies if they believe they are mediocre at best. It happened with Star Wars, which now has one of the most divided fan bases in the history of film. It could happen with the MCU.

By having RDJ reprise his role as Iron Man, it may help ease fans into the new material for the MCU.

Also, could Black Widow open the door to future Iron Man appearances? Far From Home didn’t have any, though they could have easily had flash backs or holographic recordings.

Is this a test Disney is running to see how fan respond? Will they determine they should keep paying big paychecks to bring RDJ into more films? Or open up the multiverse a bit more? If so, as an Iron Man fan, I say I hope it passes.

Of course, if you’re not an Iron Man fan or feel that bringing him back doesn’t honor his sacrifice, you’re probably wrong, but that’s OK. Here, you can check this article out that has some potential reasons it is not a good idea.

You can also read about how the MCU can successfully add RDJ into Black Widow’s movie here.