A surprising Iron Man's original ending. It's been 15 years after Iron Man debuted in theaters and kicked off Phase 1, and there are barely any elements of the movie remaining in the MCU as Phase 5 begins. Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man died in Avengers: Endgame, which makes many of the characters associated with him not essential to the MCU's ongoing story. Rhodey remains, but Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard after Iron Man, and Nick Fury remains a vital character in the ongoing narrative.
Even though Jeff Bridges' Obadiah Stane was only in Iron Man, he left a lasting impact on the franchise and MCU viewers. The evil businessman who envied the Starks and wanted control of Stark Industries was a great opponent for Tony to clash with in his first appearance. However, Iron Man killed Stane in the final battle, leaving no room for future movies to develop him further and explore other aspects of the character's comic history. Marvel has not totally forgotten about the character, though, as a Hawkeye Easter egg references Obadiah Stane. It could be set up for a big MCU Phase 5 twist.
Obadiah Stane Originally Survived Iron Man’s Ending
The MCU could use Phase 5 to reveal that Obadiah Stane survived Iron Man's ending, just as he was originally meant to do. This was confirmed by Jeff Bridges in a 2017 interview with Stark Industries' giant arc reactor and discover that Stane's body was not in there. This scene was never shot, as Iron Man's production and script were constantly changing. Still, it was the original intent of Jon Favreau and Marvel Studios to have Obadiah Stane miraculously escape the film alive.
Instead of going with Iron Man's original ending and leaving Obadiah Stane as a villain who could return to the MCU, Marvel Studios seemed to pretty clearly kill him in the final version. Pepper Potts overloads the large-scale arc reactor and electrocutes Stane while the Iron Monger suit is open. He then falls down into the arc reactor and it explodes. That would seemingly be a very difficult event for anyone to survive, but the MCU did stop short of showing Stane's dead body. This creates a small opportunity for Marvel to retcon Iron Man's ending and reveal that Obadiah Stane is alive after all.
Phase 5 Could Bring Obadiah Stane Back With Armor Wars
Phase 5 could change the Iron Man villain's fate by bringing Obadiah Stane back in Armor Wars. Originally conceived as a Disney+ series, the Marvel movie will be a loose adaptation of the comic storyline of the same name. It is expected to follow Rhodey's attempts to reclaim Stark Industries' technology that fell into the wrong hands. This is why Armor Wars has been subject to theories that Justin Hammer and other Iron Man villains could return. Obadiah Stane is commonly left out of those conversations because he is thought to be dead, but Phase 5 could deliver a surprise by having him return in Armor Wars.
Having Iron Monger return in Armor Wars would be a chance to connect the movie to Iron Man's complete legacy. The MCU could reveal that Obadiah Stane has been working in the shadows to collect Iron Man's old armor and other stolen technology. Armor Wars could even use this to connect to Ironheart if rumors of Stane's son appearing in the series prove to be true. In that sense, Phase 5 restoring Iron Man's ending and bringing Obadiah Stane back to life would fit well within the overall MCU story.
