Retro Iron Man Poster Goes Viral

Avengers: Endgame has left fans with an insatiable appetite after the conclusion to the Infinity Saga. Tony Stark has also been celebrated near constantly on social media for his part in the film. The latest tribute to the character takes the form of a wicked fan poster that takes inspiration from some new properties and some old ones to make an image that quickly became a favorite on Reddit.

Jordan Begay’s work is full of energy as it sees Iron Man taking to the skies in armor very similar to his early movie looks. Blue sky and red blurring create a satisfying contrast. The simple yellow lettering at the bottom would drive interest with the bold typeface and simple message. You want Iron Man soaring through the air? This would be the movie for you.

Some clever commenters pointed out the similarities between this fan work and the original theatrical trailer for The Rocketeer. There are some definite similarities between that pulp hero and Tony Stark despite the Art Deco look of the 1991 film’s poster. Howard Hughes, who features heavily in The Rocketeer, is a model for Tony Stark and even more so for Howard Stark in the Marvel Movies.

Unfortunately for fans, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting another Iron Man movie any time soon. That heroic sacrifice at the end of Avengers: Endgame looks to be the swan song for the character. The directing duo behind the film told fans how long the dramatic ending to Tony Stark’s character arc had been in the works during a recent Reddit AMA. Joe and Anthony Russo made it clear that plans for the Avengers had been rolling this way for some time.

Some fans still believe that Stark is alive and the whole heartbreaking scene near the end of that film was a misdirection. People who love Robert Downey Jr.’s work with Marvel are holding out hope for some type of resurrection. One Redditor asked how long the Russos had this gut-wrenching twist planned. Anthony Russo answered him and said that they were burdened with this knowledge for three years. These plans would date back at least a handful of films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

These storylines are plotted out for years and years in advance. So much has happened in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2016. Who knows what kinds of surprises are waiting in the wings for Phase 4 and beyond? Tony Stark popping up again would definitely qualify as a huge surprise at this point.

For now, fans have been hoping that Marvel Studios have some type of plan for bringing Iron Man back into the action at some point. To his credit, Joe Russo sounded pretty firm about the question of a returning Iron Man during An Evening with Joe Russo, a live Q&A hosted by ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis. He claims there is no way that the character will return in the foreseeable future.

“Tony’s dead, you know?” Russo explained. “That’s it for Robert. He’s done.”

Tony may be done, but fans still clearly have the character flying around in their hearts.