Those Robert Downey, Jr. rumors are churning the waters once again, this time suggesting he will return to the MCU as War Machine’s artificial intelligence and sassy sidekick in the Armor Wars movie. 

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard the murmurs of an RDJ MCU return. It began when Marvel first announced Riri Williams’ starring role in her very own Ironheart Disney+ series. From there, the gossip and speculation began. Would Riri be the future of the Iron Man franchise? Would fans accept anyone but RDJ in the Iron Man role? 

Those questions naturally led to speculation and theories that Marvel was looking to somehow tie a deceased Tony Stark into Ironheart. Officially, nothing has been said or even hinted at regarding RDJ and a return to Marvel, not that it has slowed down the gossip. 

Of course, it was hard to imagine an A-lister of Downey’s caliber playing second fiddle on a streaming series. Considering the enormous salary he would command per episode, it seemed like a long shot for him to be in Ironheart aside from maybe a one-off cameo. After all, even Disney has its budget limits. That’s what makes the appeal of an Armor Wars movie a much better prospect for an RDJ-voiced A.I. In fact, that could be part of the reason why the project was upgraded from a streaming series to a feature film. 

All these theories and rumors have led collectors to this issue.

SUPERIOR IRON MAN #1

The main reason for investors and collectors to covet Superior Iron Man #1 is for the holographic Tony Stark. If - and that’s a colossal if - RDJ is the sarcastic JARVIS to either Ironheart or War Machine’s artificial intelligence, then this issue will be the one to own. Since the first rumors began to swirl, buyers have been scouring the internet for cheap copies. It raised prices for the graded 9.8 into the $200 range during the spring, but it’s since cooled significantly. Values have mostly been near the $100-$150 mark, though an August 7 sale netted $250. With price tags that high now, imagine where they will be if we get an official announcement from Marvel.

The other reason to want Superior Iron Man #1 is the title character. During the Axis event, a spell washed over the Marvel Universe, turning all its heroes into villains. When the magic was reversed, this particular Tony Stark didn’t want to be a good guy again, so he blocked the spell from changing him. Thus we were introduced to the Superior Iron Man. 

Here’s something to ponder. Although Armor Wars doesn’t have an official release date as of yet, we can assume it will be part of either Phase Four or Five, likely the latter considering the former’s already packed movie schedule. That puts Armor Wars firmly in The Multiverse Saga, which is the common thread among all the projects. Could the film’s villain be a villainous Iron Man from across the Multiverse? That would reel in gargantuan box office numbers and add War Machine squarely in The Multiverse Saga.

A TANTALIZING PROSPECT

Until Marvel releases more details for Armor Wars, the field is wide open for speculation. All collecting and investing aside, that’s what makes the MCU so fun. Making wild predictions and combing social media for interesting rumors and theories sparks the imagination. Certainly, most guesses will be incorrect, but that doesn’t hamper the fun. With that in mind, let the Armor Wars movie speculation commence. 

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*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.