Marvel Fan Theory Predicts Spider-Man: Far From Home Will Introduce Norman Osborn as an Evil Iron Man

05/18/2019 01:00 am EDT

A Marvel fan theory predicts Spider-Man: Far From Home will introduce Norman Osborn as Iron Patriot, a villainous Iron Man poser and leader of the Dark Avengers.

Posting on Reddit's Fan Theories subreddit, user u/The_Dorito_Muncher references a twist scene star Tom Holland, quoting director Jon Watts, says audiences will "hate."

"There's a scene in this film where audiences will feel like they've been punched in the face," Holland said during a Far From Home set visit.

"Even filming it, I remember walking out and then watching it again on the monitors and asking Jon, 'Are you sure that's okay?' And he's like, 'No, it's not. People are going to hate this scene.'" Holland added the scene is "pretty crazy" and "it whips the rug from underneath your feet."

The user argues the scene will reveal the freshly arrived Osborn as "the new Iron Man," who assumes that mantle following the death of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), mentor-slash-father figure to Peter Parker (Holland), in Avengers: Endgame.

In the Marvel Comics, Osborn — then seemingly free of his madness as the Green Goblin, the archfoe of Spider-Man — wins the world's favor when he commits the killing shot on the leader of an alien invasion, ending a battle that united Earth's mightiest heroes and villains alike.

Stark, at the time the acting director of S.H.I.E.L.D., is removed from that position by the President of the United States, who dismantles the entire spy organization over its failure to detect and prevent the invasion by the shape-shifting Skrulls.

Osborn is installed as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s successor, H.A.M.M.E.R., a position he uses to launch his "Dark Reign" initiative — an era where the supervillains of the Marvel Universe will reign supreme.

Acting as head of a Cabal that includes Doctor Doom, Loki, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Emma Frost, and the Hood, Osborn immediately fills a hole left by the real Avengers and assembles his own team of "Earth's mightiest heroes."

Purporting to be superheroes, several villains are recruited: Venom poses as black suit Spider-Man, Moonstone as Ms. Marvel, Bullseye as Hawkeye, Daken as Wolverine, and Kree Noh-Varr as Captain Marvel, who join alongside former Avengers Sentry and Ares.

Osborn leads the team as Iron Patriot, suited in an Iron Man armor painted in the patriotic colors of Captain America.

The Iron Patriot armor has already surfaced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in 2013's Iron Man 3, where it was an upgraded War Machine suit piloted by Stark's best friend, James Rhodes (Don Cheadle).

Sony Pictures, who possesses the screen rights to Spider-Man and all ancillary characters, reportedly intended to include an unseen Norman Osborn in Silver and Black, its planned Silver Sable and Black Cat spinoff movie set in "Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters," home to Tom Hardy's Venom and soon Jared Leto's Morbius.

In June 2018, attached director Gina Prince-Bythewood revealed the project was headed back to the drawing board to "start over." By July, The Hollywood Reporter noted Prince-Bythewood signed on to develop Image Comics' The Old Guard as Silver and Black stalled.

That project was earlier pulled from Sony's release calendar.

Because Osborn was reportedly planned to be involved only as a voice cameo, it's possible Disney-owned Marvel Studios could have negotiated to arrange use of the character in its Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel, which stars famed Sinister Six member Mysterio. Here Mysterio is a supposed superhero hailing from another Earth and played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

There is also speculation Marvel Studios has quietly set up Osborn in the background, first as the new owner of the vacated Avengers Tower — the property was cleaned out in Homecoming — and again as the shadowy, unseen buyer above criminal Sonny Burch (Walter Goggins) in last summer's Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Samuel L. Jackson, Spider-Man: Far From Home opens July 2.

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