Thanos may be out of the MCU picture, but there's a rising interest for Iron Man #55, and it's not for the Mad Titan's first appearance.

The MCU giveth and the MCU taketh away.

That's certainly been the case for Iron Man #55. Ever since he debuted in the post-credits scene of Avengers, this has been a hot issue. Of course, once Thanos met his demise at the conclusion of Endgame, collectors and investors backed away, and that brought prices down. That will prove to be great news if the latest rumors pan out.

Since 2018, there have been millings that Thanos' Titan brother, Eros/Starfox, would be coming to the MCU. There hasn't been much on the Starfox front since then until recently. Initially, the word on the street was that he was in an early draft of The Eternals script, but the character was dropped in later revisions. The speculation is that Marvel has other plans for him and didn't want him overshadowed.

With the volume of characters confirmed for Eternals, there's hardly screen time for another hero. Marvel chief Kevin Feige doesn't like to undersell what could be a popular character. He has said that Beta Ray Bill was in the works for Thor: Ragnarok, but Bill was pulled because Feige wanted him to have a more important debut. Could this be the case with Starfox? If so, it will drive up prices for his early appearances.

THE CASE FOR STARFOX IN THE MCU

Eros is the sibling of Thanos, who both hail from Titan. Not only is Eros a Titan, but he is an Eternal in the comics and often sides against his brother. He would go on to join the Avengers, adopting the name Starfox in the process.

Overall, Starfox hasn't been a major character in the comic universe. In fact, the general consensus among fans is that he is one of - if not the - worst Avenger to ever join the team. However, that may be exactly why Marvel Studios would use him in a larger role. The studio tends to gravitate toward the quirky characters. It gives the filmmakers more creative freedom because there are much fewer fan expectations. Plus, Starfox could easily be used as comic relief, which fits the MCU's action-comedy formula.

That's not to say Eros/Starfox will reach Thanos-level popularity, but Marvel could retool the character for a crowd-pleasing onscreen role.

IRON MAN #55

Starfox made his first brief appearance alongside Thanos and Drax in 1973's Iron Man #55. Ever since the latter two gained fame in the MCU, they caused prices to inflate dramatically. On the plus side, virtually every grade of this comic has steadily fallen over the past two years. That makes this an opportune time to grab a copy, but don't wait long because it is starting to show signs of life.

Case in point: the 7.5.

This has been the most popular grade. Over the past 12 months, 29 copies have traded hands online. Back in 2018, the 7.5 averaged $755. After Thanos was snapped away in Endgame, the fair market value dipped to $698 in 2019. Over the past 90 days, it has averaged $596, which is more in line with prices from 2016. However, the most recent sale on June 14 was for $729, the highest value so far in 2020.

FINAL THOUGHTS on Iron Man #55

Odds are that Starfox won't get his own feature film and instead will be a supporting character in another franchise. He could show up on a Disney+ series, too. The bottom line is that it adds up that Marvel Studios will eventually find room for him, and that will raise prices for Iron Man #55.