It’s nearly been a decade since fans saw the MCU get birthed, and the franchise has ushered in a lot of villains in that time. Baddies like Loki and Thanos are still popular choices amongst fans, but there is one villain Kevin Feige admits he’d be interested to see return.
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During a recent interview with Uproxx, the head of Marvel Studios opened up about his tenure with the MCU. When the topic of Iron Man and Obadiah Stane was brought up, Feige confessed he would be interested to see Jeff Bridges’ character make a comeback.
“Well, that would be awesome to have [Bridges] come back,” Feige said. “That would be great.”
The producer’s comment was in response to an interview Bridges did earlier this year about his Marvel gig. During a chat with CinemaBlend, the actor admitted his character wasn’t actually meant to die at the end of Iron Man.
“In the original script they were supposed to open my suit after, and I was gone! But then, no,” Bridges revealed. “I read the scene we were shooting, and they said, ‘No, you’re dead.’ And I said, ‘Oh…’ Then they said, ‘Well, it’s a comic! Maybe you’ll come back!’ I don’t know.”
When the star was then asked if Obadiah could still return to the MCU, Bridges played it coy. “You never know. You never know,” he said.
Marvel Studios was all for keeping Obadiah around a bit longer, but Feige says that sentiment changed when Iron Man swapped out its main villain. The producer told Uproxx the Mandarin was intended to by the film’s big baddie, but Tony’s mentor would up stealing the role and becoming the Iron Monger. Obadiah’s turn necessitated that he be killed off in Marvel’s eyes, but Bridges does not seem adverse to returning to the MCU if he got a chance. And, if Feige’s words are true, then the producer feels much the same.
Of course, Bridges could find a way to make a MCU comeback without Obadiah; The franchise has brought in actors to play multiple roles over the years, but fans can’t help but wonder what the villain’s return would do to Tony Stark. The pair have a rather greasy history with one another, so there is no telling how Iron Man would react if someone like Thanos managed to resurrect Obadiah under his nose.