'Avengers 4' Fan Theory Proposes How Tony Stark Could Live on After Death

Marvel fans are bursting with theories about what will happen to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers 4 is over - especially when it comes to the original Avengers members. Avengers: Infinity War conspicuously left the original Avengers alive for one more adventure after The Snap - a mission that also could be their last together. If many of the first Avengers either die or retire, there are a number of ways that Marvel Comics has provided for Avengers characters to continue on - even if it's not how we've come to know them.

One possible scenario for Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark / Iron Man has been gaining fan support over on Reddit - a theory which details a way that Tony could "live on," even if he's killed in the final battle against Thanos. Check out that theory, below (forgive the grammatical errors):

AVENGERS 4 - Tony's Death? Tony As A "Artificial Intelligence". Fan Thoery. from r/FanTheories

The long-short of the theory (with less problematic grammar) is this: At the end of Marvel Comics' "Civil War II" crossover event, Tony Stark is left severely injured by Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, and is left comatose. However, Tony didn't really die, and instead used experiments on himself to create an A.I. version of his own consciousness, which then served as an instructor and mentor to Riri Williams, Tony's successor who became the hero Ironheart.

That storyline from the comics is definitely a viable possibility for the MCU, for several reasons:

1. RDJ's arc as Tony Stark has been expected to come to an end with Avengers 4 - possibly culminating with his own self-sacrifice.
2. An Ironheart movie has already been rumored to be in the works.
3. The A.I. version of Tony would fit a tradition going back to the beginning of the MCU (A.I. assistants like Jarvis), while allowing Robert Downey Jr. to remain part of the MCU in much more limited capacity.

To be fair: there is currently zero evidence that this scenario is in any way playing out in the MCU. And yet, as stated, it's one that could be implemented in order to "retire" RDJ without doing so permanently, while also opening the door for a character like Riri Williams / Ironheart to become Iron Man's MCU successor. It works as a win-win for the franchise, so we'll be keeping an eye out for more evidence of it becoming a reality.

What do you think about this Iron Man Avengers 4 fan theory? Let us know in the comments!

Avengers: Infinity War is now available as a digital download and on Blu-ray and DVD. Ant-Man and the Wasp is now playing in theaters. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universemovies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019; Avengers 4 on May 3, 2019; Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th, 2019. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been delayed indefinitely.