It’s hard to believe that Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau’s Iron Man hit theaters 15 years ago. Downey’s Tony Stark was the face that launched a franchise as Iron Man served as Marvel Studios’ very first project back in 2008.
Of course, even though Tony’s time in the MCU came to a close (for now) in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to be mega-popular.
Disney+ Celebrates Iron Man’s Anniversary
Marvel StudiosDisney+ took to Twitter, posting a newly-cut trailer for the Iron Man trilogy. It was done to salute 15 years of Iron Man, which first landed in theaters on May 2, 2008.
Marvel Studios“I’m the best,” Tony cockily declared once he finished suiting up in his fresh-off-the-line Mark XLII suit during the opening act of Iron Man 3.
Marvel StudiosHere’s the full trailer as posted by Disney+:Tony Stark’s MCU Legacy Lives OnIron Man met an untimely demise in Avengers: Endgame when he nabbed the six Infinity Stones off of Thanos’ gauntlet and snapped his fingers, ending the Mad Titan’s threat once and for all. The sheer power of the Stones was too much for Tony’s body to handle and he passed away.
But Iron Man’s legacy is still felt, both in and out-of-universe. Don Cheadle’s War Machine and Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams will continue to bring armored action to the MCU in their various future appearance including the Armor Wars movie and Ironheart on Disney+.
And Stark’s onetime protégé Peter Parker aka, Spider-Man will try to live up to the example set by his mentor in his future appearances (even if no one remembers him.)
In the real world, fans flocked without fail to any MCU movie that featured Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, and his absence is still greatly felt among audiences who grew to love Tony’s snarky, heroic exploits. Downey has indeed mentioned that he misses playing the role, so perhaps there’s a still chance for a comeback at some point?
Setting all that aside, it’s pretty crazy that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been around for fifteen years. There are some viewers for which the MCU has been around their entire lives. And with numerous films, series, and specials on the horizon, things have shown no signs of slowing down.
