16 years after he met his demise in 2008's Iron Man, I think there's only one way that would make sense to bring Obadiah Stane's Iron Monger back to the Obadiah Stane was the perfect villain to kick off the MCU, as he was a brilliant dark mirror to Iron Man, and bridged the gap between realistic and fantastical expertly.
Though he was bigger and badder than Jeff Bridges' Obadiah Stane return to the MCU, and I know exactly how this can happen.
Jeff Bridges Has Commented On His Possible MCU Return
Obadiah Stane Originally Survived The Events Of Iron Man
On September 23, Jeff Bridges spoke to Josh Horowitz on the ending of Iron Man, especially since this would have set up Jeff Bridges' return.
While this didn't happen in Iron Man, Jeff Bridges still suggests that he'd be open to returning as Obadiah Stane in the MCU's future. He states, "who knows, it's all science fiction, I could maybe pop up again," leaving the door wide open for his return. The prospect of Jeff Bridges coming back as Obadiah Stane has me very excited, but also concerned that this may mean his death in Iron Man would somehow be reversed. Even though Bridges suggests the opportunity is there for Stane to have survived, I'd prefer his death to be retained.
I Don’t Want Obadiah Stane’s Iron Man Death To Be Reversed
Obadiah Stane's Death In Iron Man Kick-Started The MCU In The Best Way
Iron Man was a crucial moment at the very beginning of the MCU. Iron Man could have, very easily, ended with Tony Stark's Iron Man apprehending Stane, with the villain being incarcerated, ing a family-friendly, lighthearted tone for the MCU. However, I loved that Stane was killed in Iron Man, as this meant that the stakes of the MCU were instantly raised, and we felt the real pressures and desperation of the franchise's very human heroes immediately.
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This was important in establishing the idea that any of our most beloved characters could be killed off at any moment. Stane's death also told us that the MCU's heroes sometimes have to make the toughest calls, and are not always perfect visions of superheroism. This was a crucial turning point in the MCU, so I would consider it a shame for it to simply be undone, but I've worked out how Jeff Bridges can return as Obadiah Stane without reversing his Iron Man death, and this could set up a brand-new MCU villain.
Obadiah Stane Can Return In Flashbacks Setting Up His Son’s MCU Debut
Obadiah Stane's Son Becomes A Powerful Villain In Marvel Comics
While I don't want Obadiah Stane to return in the MCU's present day stories, I would love to see Jeff Bridges reprise his role in flashbacks. We know very little about Obadiah Stane's life outside of Stark Industries and his love/hate relationship with Tony Stark, but I reckon an project could use flashbacks to introduce Obadiah Stane's son, Ezekiel Stane, who could become a formidable new villain in the MCU. Obadiah Stane was in his mid-60s when he died during Iron Man, and Bridges could still believably play this age, so I'd love to see this happen.
Ezekiel Stane was introduced to Marvel Comics in 2008's The Order #8, and was created by writer Matt Fraction and artist Barry Kitson.
This would be a fantastic way to bring Ezekiel Stane into the MCU, assuaging the need for Obadiah's Iron Monger to return. I've enjoyed seeing recent speculation of Ezekiel Stane's MCU debut, and there are several projects that could feature this much-wanted introduction. In Marvel Comics, Ezekiel "Zeke" Stane used biotechnology to make himself a built-in Iron Man-esque suit of armor, and his quest of vengeance against Iron Man for his father's death would also make sense in the live-action MCU, though not focused on Tony Stark.
Ezekiel Stane Could Be A Formidable Villain For Several MCU Heroes
Several Heroes Are Continuing Iron Man's Legacy In The MCU
While it's impossible that Ezekiel Stane could seek vengeance on Tony Stark, given the fact that Robert Downey Jr.'s armored hero sacrificed himself in Avengers: Endgame, there are other armored heroes who could bear the brunt of Stane's vendetta. I reckon this would be a great way to pay off Stark's quote in Iron Man 2, noting that someone recreating Stark's Iron Man technology would take many years - Ezekiel Stane might have worked it out in the most terrifying way possible. This would let him pose a threat to several heroes in the MCU's slate.
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Amor Wars could introduce some prominent heroes, ing characters, and villains from across the comics, and these are most likely prospects.
Most notably, armored heroes such as Riri Williams' Ironheart and Rhodey's War Machine are continuing Iron Man's legacy in the MCU. I'd love to see Ezekiel Stane appear in Ironheart or Armor Wars, while Hawkeye also teased the reappearance of a Stane, so Zeke could pop up in a possible season 2. Ezekiel Stane would also be young enough to oppose the Young Avengers team, which could continue themes of Tony Stark creating some of the MCU's most powerful villains, just as he did back in 2008's Iron Man with Obadiah Stane's Iron Monger.
Iron Man
- Release Date
- May 2, 2008
- Runtime
- 126 minutes
- Director
- Jon Favreau
Cast
Tony Stark
Terrence HowardRhodey
WHERE TO WATCH
Iron Man is the first film in the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, who becomes Iron Man after he is kidnapped and discovers terrorists are using weapons developed by Stark Industries. Gwyneth Paltrow stars as Tony's love interest Pepper Potts alongside Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Jeff Bridges as the villainous Obadiah Stane.
- Sequel(s)
- Iron Man 3
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