This post contains SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame

Jon Favreau reveals Marvel currently has no plans in place for Iron Man 4. The original Iron Man film, directed by Favreau, was the movie that kicked off the MCU 11 years ago, serving as the humble beginnings for an incredible journey. Few could have predicted it at the time, but Iron Man ended up launching the most successful movie franchise of all-time - one that completely revolutionized the industry and continuously breaks box office records. To date, the 22 installments have combined to make more than $20 billion globally.

In the earliest days of the MCU (pre-Avengers), Iron Man was far and away the property’s most popular character and Robert Downey, Jr. was Marvel’s poster boy. And while Tony Stark remained a constant presence in the franchise over the past decade (up until his heroic death in Avengers: Endgame), the MCU’s roster of bankable characters grew exponentially and now movies about Black Panther and Captain Marvel hit $1 billion worldwide in the blink of an eye. Iron Man’s contributions to the MCU are extremely integral to its success, but Marvel is no longer in a position where they need to rely heavily on their inaugural hero to carry the films. That might partially explain why they’re not even thinking about an Iron Man 4.

Screen Rant had the opportunity to visit the Spider-Man: Far From Home set, where we were among a group that interviewed Favreau (who reprises his role as Happy Hogan in the film). When asked about a fourth Iron Man movie, he had this to say:

For a variety of reasons, this isn’t surprising. Firstly, the last solo Iron Man movie came out in 2013 at the outset of Phase 2 and Marvel then opted to have Tony appear in other projects like Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming. They very easily could have made an Iron Man 4 at any time, but felt it was better to go in a different direction. And considering the events of Endgame, they’re going to let Iron Man rest. That film was the perfect sendoff for the character, capping off his arc in poetic fashion. And just like the characters of the MCU will be OK even though Tony’s now gone, the MCU itself will continue to thrive despite no longer having one of its foundational figures. This isn’t to say there’ll never be an Iron Man 4 (where another person takes up the mantle), but there frankly isn’t a need to move forward with that film anytime soon.

We haven’t talked about 4. I’ve talked to Kevin about it to see what they’re up to, but we definitely love working together and we love these characters. So we talk about what it would be, and we always joke about the ‘Freak’ storyline, which is a Happy Hogan storyline when he turns into a Hulk-like character. We joke about that, though, no plans as of yet.

Instead, Marvel seems to be positioning Spider-Man as the “new Iron Man,” as evidenced by the latest Far From Home trailer. With Thor off-world, Captain Marvel unavailable, and Steve Rogers a peaceful old man, somebody has to step up and be the hero Nick Fury needs to keep Earth safe. Peter’s definitely going through some hard times in Far From Home, but that great responsibility falls upon him. Nobody’s saying Peter Parker is going to completely fill the void left by Tony Stark, but considering the relationship that blossomed between the two, Spider-Man seems like the ideal choice to try his best.

More: Theory: How Tony Stark Can Still Be In Spider-Man: Far From Home

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