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Long before the Avengers assembled together in the culmination of the greatest phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a multi-billion superhero franchise that has dominated pop culture discourse for decades, the Robert Downey Jr.-starring "Iron Man" kickstarted the studio's shared universe of films in 2008. Downey Jr. was initially perceived as a controversial choice for "Iron Man" — but the actor's past legal troubles didn't negatively influence director Jon Favreau, who fought tooth and nail to make it happen.

The film was released, Downey Jr.'s performance was commended, to say the least, and a franchise was born. The actor reprised his role in two sequels and has played Tony Stark/Iron Man in a total of 10 films while steadily being at the center of the MCU throughout. Downey Jr. has since been a part of many critically-acclaimed films, but the most loved films in his career spanning decades are the...

The House of Representin’ was reopened at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, as Terry Crews resurrected one of his most famous roles, President Camacho from the cult comedy “Idiocracy,” to announce a party for a fake presidential campaign in 2024.

Back in 2006, Crews appeared in Mike Judge’s comedy about Joe Bauers, an Army corporal deemed the “most average person in the military,” whom along with a sex worker named Rita are selected for a military cryogenic experiment.

When the experiment is forgotten about, the two wake up in the year 2534, where the human race has dumbed itself down to the point that society has collapsed into a barely functioning dystopia on the verge of collapse. With the average Joe now the smartest man on the planet, President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho hires him to his cabinet to solve a drought that is killing America’s food supply.

As marvel's premier super-genius, Reed Richards has embarrassed Tony Stark on several occasions, and the Fantastic Four's anti-Namor mech shows that even when it comes to superpowered armor, Mister Fantastic can leave Iron Man in the dust. Iron Man has famously built many versions of his 'buster' armor to take on specific foes, but they are generally just more powerful suits which hit harder and sometimes have an ability to absorb specific energy signatures, such as Thor's lightning or the Hulk's gamma radiation. In contrast, one mech suit Reed Richards used to fight Namor goes way, way beyond Tony's ambitions.

The fight took place in the Ultimate Universe - a version of Marvel's reality which was rebooted so superheroes only emerged in the 2000s, doing away with decades of complex lore to tell new, often edgy stories that weren't possible in Marvel's main reality. In this world, Namor wasn't the king of Atlantis,...

An interesting multiversal connection between Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may be teasing an important supernatural villain. Although it was the third project in Phase 4, Loki effectively launched the Multiverse Saga. With its introduction of the sacred and diverging timelines, variants, the Tva, and of course He Who Remains played by the great Jonathan Majors, Loki set the stage for a saga’s worth of multiversal stories - much of which the saga has strangely ignored. That is until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness significantly expanded audiences’ understanding and expectations by incorporating incursions and exploring more alternate universes and variants.

The next step was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with Majors returning and stealing the show as Kang the Conqueror. Yet, he was unexpectedly killed off, paving the way for Immortus, Rama-Tut, and Scarlet Centurion in the post-credits scene as the leaders of the new Council of Kangs.

S​cream VI is now in theaters. It brings with it a love letter to the entire Scream franchise. With a shift from California, we settle with our remaining characters in New York City to gain a new experience for Ghostface to stalk victims. The film is jam-packed with fun references to other parts of the Scream franchise and other horror films in general. What Scream VI easter eggs did you possibly miss?

W​Arning!!!!! There will be spoilers for Scream VI and possibly other entries in the Scream Series.

F​riday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

W​hen Jason returns to his apartment, we see that the TV is on and the movie that is playing is Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. This is a fun joke as this movie was to take Jason out of his usual hunting grounds of Crystal Lake and...

The gradual progression of Tony Stark’s Iron Man suits speak not only to his mechanical genius, but also his ingenuity and creativity. Good can always be better, and Iron Man is proving it yet again by somehow making his strongest armor even more impressive.

From the famous Hulkbuster to limitless nanotech (and even including a symbiote Iron Man armor too), Tony Stark has gradually transformed himself from a human genius in a metal suit to a god-tier hero, and no armor has ever proven that sentiment more true than the hologram armor of Iron Man 2020. A suit with no physical construct, limited only by his own imagination. But as immensely powerful as that virtual suit proved to be, it is nothing compared to his new, upgraded Hologram Armor.

In I Am Iron Man #1 by Murewa Ayodele and Dotun Akande, a time-traveling antagonist is sliding through history looking for the...

While Wolverine is more than capable of tearing Tony Stark apart with his adamantium claws, in this case, he didn’t need to, as the feral X-Men hero was able to do so with one debilitating insult.

James “Logan” Howlett aka Wolverine is a mutant, born with a number of superhuman abilities including heightened, animalistic senses, a healing factor that repairs most injuries while also slows his aging, and six retractable claws that extend from his knuckles. While Wolverine was given some unwanted enhancements in the form of adamantium grafted to his skeleton (including his claws), every one of his powers were completely natural. Tony Stark, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of Wolverine–and every natural-born superhuman, for that matter. Stark doesn’t have any powers aside from his inherent brilliance, and instead relies on the high-tech suits he creates to fight evil as the superhero Iron Man.

Warning: contains spoilers for X-Men #20!As the X-Men continue to battle against a rogue invasion of Brood aliens across the galaxy in X-Men #20, team leader Cyclops has called out the Avengers' specific brand of heroism, which often relies on reactive action as opposed to proactive support.

While the relationship between the X-Men and the Avengers has grown less strained since the founding of the mutant nation of Krakoan, particularly after the incredible tension between the two heroic teams following the Avengers vs. X-Men event, there is still a long history of fighting between the two groups - evident by the drama surrounding former Avengers member Firestar joining the X-Men. Up against the Brood, Cyclops casually throws shade at Earth's Mightiest Heroes, saying, "The X-Men aren't the Avengers. We don't wait for the bodies to drop to suit up."

This is an incredibly pointed, brutal critique of the Avengers' philosophy and heroism,...

Deathlok could be rebooted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe during Phase 5, as Agents of Shield's character could fit within the technological corner of the franchise. The ABC Marvel series used plenty of characters from Marvel's comics during the course of its seven-season run. Whether it was major heroes like Mockingbird (Adrianne Palicki), Quake (Chloe Bennet), or Ghost Rider (Gabriel Luna), Agents of Shield always made sure to include characters that comic readers would recognize. This included introducing Deathlok, played by J. August Richards, in Agents of Shield season 1.

So far, no characters from Agents of Shield have crossed over with the MCU. However, rumors suggest that this could change in Phase 5 with Quake's return. This could go a long way in determining if Agents of Shield is MCU canon or not. Regardless of which side of the debate Marvel Studios ultimately takes, not every character featured on the show will come back.

Marvel Studios can tell one major Iron Man story during their upcoming Armor Wars film. Armor Wars was officially announced to be in development at Disney's 2020 Investor Day, initially being penned as a six-part Disney+ series, but it was later revealed that the project would be reworked into a feature-length film. Armor Wars will see Don Cheadle suit up as War Machine, leading on from his upcoming appearance in Secret Invasion alongside Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. While the film will deal directly with Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame, Armor Wars has the opportunity to tell Iron Man stories that the MCU has previously avoided.

Throughout his MCU career, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark often had run-ins with the Ten Rings, an organization that was kept in the shadows until Phase 4. Iron Man saw Stark kidnaped by the Ten Rings in Afghanistan, Iron Man 3 introduced Trevor Slattery,...

Even before the days of Marvel's Cinematic Universe or its equivalent in DC, the relationship between film, television, and comics was a pretty symbiotic one. Just as film and TV are now majorly informed by comics, comic artists have taken inspiration from film and TV — especially when it comes to the design for certain characters. "Batman: Year One" artist David Mazzucchelli famously modeled his Bruce Wayne on "Roman Holiday" star Gregory Peck. Another less-subtle reference to a famous face — and one of my personal favorites — came in 2016's "Invincible Iron Man": artist Mike Deodato Jr. modeled his Tony Stark off Santiago Cabrebra, of "The Musketeers" and "Star Trek: Picard" fame.

Sometimes, though, the inspiration is equal parts thematic as it is aesthetic. On occasion, an episode of television can even inspire a shift in a narrative arc, a fresh conflict, or even a brand new character. Such was the case for Brian Michael Bendis,...

Even though Iron Man is known for his increasingly powerful suits of armor, with one of his most iconically-strong being the Hulkbuster Armor, his are nothing compared to one suit built on-the-fly by Magneto–a suit akin to Iron Man’s Hulkbuster that Magneto used to ‘bust’ Apocalypse himself.

Tony Stark became Iron Man after surviving the traumatic experience of being a prisoner of war. Using his mechanical and technological genius, Stark essentially used scraps from bombs and missiles to build himself a suit of armor, which he then used to escape his imprisonment. From that point forward, Stark decided he would use his brilliance and his resources to build suits that give him the power to be a superhero–though not just any superhero, the best superhero. To do that, he had to create armor that was stronger than other superheroes on Earth, starting with the one who consistently...

There are certain changes Marvel Studios can implement to reinvigorate the franchise throughout the MCU Phase 5. Phase 4 of the MCU was an undeniable change of pace in comparison to the Infinity Saga. The introduction of the multiverse, the larger number of yearly releases, and the launch of Disney+ shows brought some advantages, but they also brought some undesired side effects.

The McU's divisive Phase 4 bit much more than the MCU could chew, which caused various issues with visual effects and rushed storylines. The first Phase of this new era also, perhaps, released too much content for some to keep up with, and it overcomplicated the main goal of the Multiverse Saga, which deviates from the Infinity Saga's rather simple promise of gathering the Avengers to fight Thanos. However, there's still time for the MCU to course correct.

Related: MCU Phase 5 Can Finally Make Agents of Shield’s Earliest Tease Accurate...

The animated Marvel series "What If...?" for Disney+ is a fascinating concept for fans of the superhero multiverse. Thanks to powers that defy all laws of physics, time, and space, there are endless directions that Marvel could take for any number of their stories. Of course, the events presented in the Marvel Cinematic Universe phases are considered canon, but "What If...?" takes all of the hypothetical questions fans debate amongst one another and bring to life what would have happened had the canonical events taken a different direction. The first season explored theoretical questions like "What if Captain Carter was the first Avenger?" or "What if Killmonger rescued Tony Stark?"

Ahead of its premiere, Marvel has announced "What If...?" season 2 will introduce a brand-new superhero named Kahhori, created specifically for the show. Unlike most of the heroes in the MCU, Kahhori has no comic book origins, which makes her inclusion even more special.

The MCU would look very different if Ant-Man didn't return from the Quantum Realm in Avengers: Endgame. After Thanos decimated half of all life in the universe at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, all hope seemed lost for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, with many of their own ranks being turned to dust following Thanos' snap. Avengers: Endgame picked up five years later, showing how difficult the members of the Avengers had found it to move on from their unprecedented defeat, though a glimmer of hope was provided when Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man, returned from the Quantum Realm.

Ant-Man and the Wasp saw Scott Lang enter the Quantum Realm, perfectly timed with the ending of Avengers: Infinity War. After Thanos' actions in Wakanda, Hope Van Dyne, Hank Pym, and Janet Van Dyne, who were supposed to bring Scott back, were turned to dust, trapping Scott inside. Thanks to a...

The MCU’s Spider-Man was always doomed to suffer the consequences of Iron Man’s actions. The friendly neighborhood hero skyrocketed to being one of the franchise’s most important and beloved characters shortly after Tom Holland’s introduction in Captain America: Civil War - no surprise given Spider-Man’s status in pop culture in general. Nevertheless, his tenure has been quite interesting to consider, especially in comparison to that of his Spider-Man: No Way Home co-stars, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. For better or worse, they were able to shine on their own in their series, but Holland’s Spider-Man is such a standout for his integral connection to the MCU, particularly Tony Stark.

Spider-Man became Iron Man’s protégé in the MCU, intriguingly stealing the opportunity from Iron Man 3’s Harley Keener and stalling his MCU future. Regardless, the two heroes had been importantly linked since long...

A stunning new cosplay gives the world Iron Venom, making Iron Man the king of the symbiotes. Cosplayer mike_dd3d unveiled the cosplay, the perfect mashup of Venom and Iron Man, on social media to great acclaim. It presents a terrifying vision of Iron Man, one who has mastered the symbiote and ascended to the role of King in Black–creating the ultimate nightmare for the Marvel Universe.

Mike_dd3d posted the cosplay shoot on Instagram. It shows an Iron Man armor suit, but the entire left-hand side is covered in symbiote goo. The goo-encrusted left side resembles Venom’s outfit, complete with the distorted spider logo. What gives this cosplay shoot a truly terrifying edge is that this incarnation of Iron Man has clearly mastered the symbiote goo, because his head resembles that of Meridius, the future King in Black currently making life miserable for Eddie Brock in the pages of Venom.

When Iron Man and the other members of Marvel Comics' Illuminati find themselves facing off against one of the universe's greatest threats, readers get a glimpse at Tony Stark's greatest desire: a world dominated by him and his high-flying suits of armor.

Established in the fallout of the infamous Kree-Skrull War, the Illuminati's primary goal is to pinpoint and eliminate threats before they can become insurmountable to the universe itself. An early adventure in the history of the Illuminati saw the group confronting an incredibly powerful cosmic entity known as the Beyonder. During the original Secret Wars event, the Beyonder kidnapped a number of Earth's most powerful heroes and villains and placed them on the interstellar "Battleworld" in an epic battle of good and evil that would be remembered for decades to come.

Related: Iron Man's Other Codename Has Officially Been Stolen by Another Hero

Iron Man Sees Himself...

New cover art for X-Men #22 teases the arrival of a robotic version of Wolverine, as the human-supremacist organization Orchis takes the fight to mutantkind. This mysterious new villain will join a roster of some of the deadliest humans in the Marvel Universe, finally turning Wolverine's iconic claws against the X-Men.

X-Men #22 from Gerry Duggan and Joshua Cassara will see the return of Orchis - a secret organization formed to prevent mutants supplanting humans as the planet's dominant species. While their leader and ultimate weapon is the advanced Sentinel Nimrod, there are some other truly threatening villains among their ranks, all sharing an interest in two things: unethical superscience, and the death of mutantkind. The cover for this issue introduces a new member of the group - a robotic version of Wolverine.

Related: Deadpool & Wolverine Combine in Jaw-Dropping Official Art

Orchis Have Created Their Own Wolverine

The cover showcases an Orchis roster made up of Nimrod,...

Marvel Studios' live-action “Armor Wars” based on the Marvel Comics title, originally planned as a TV series for Disney+, starring Don Cheadle reprising his role as “War Machine’ will now be a wide theatrical release:

"...in the original story, 'Tony Stark' concerned about how his 'Iron Man' armor was being used by other people, now finds his designs being employed by his enemies, thanks to patents and designs sold by 'Justin Hammer'.

"Upset by the discovery, Stark worried his technology would be used for evil and he begins a crusade to destroy all traces of his tech...

"...even if it means facing off against his friends, the US Government or foreign operatives.

Click the images to enlarge....

Warning: spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are ahead!After the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios is repeating Iron Man's Thanos nightmare, albeit secretly, in Phase 5. The Marvel Cinematic Universe now enters the second chapter of the burgeoning Multiverse Saga with Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania. The Peyton Reed-directed threequel officially debuts Kang the Conqueror, who will be the Avengers' next big adversary. While he doesn't have any ties to Thanos, Marvel Studios is subtly repeating a storytelling trick used to pave the way for the Titan's introduction, only this time, they're using it on Kang the Conqueror.

After being sucked into the mysterious Quantum Realm, Team Ant-Man faced their most dangerous adversary yet Kang the Conqueror. A variant of He Who Remains who appeared in the Loki finale, this version was exiled to the dimension as a way to contain him. In the end, Team Ant-Man was able to defeat the villain,...

Warning! This article contains spoilers for I Am Iron Man #1The Iron Man suits created by Tony Stark have collectively become one of the most iconic aspects of Marvel Comics canon, and now, Tony’s very first suit of armor–the one that started it all–just got a killer upgrade.

Tony Stark became Iron Man after he was captured as a prisoner of war and was forced to create a powerful weapon from a pile of bomb and missile scraps–missiles that were originally manufactured by his own company. Rather than giving his enemies what they wanted, Stark used the technology to build himself a suit of armor instead–one he would use to escape. Unfortunately, throughout this ordeal, Tony Stark suffered a major injury that nearly took his life, and the armor he built in order to escape was also the only thing keeping him alive. In the...

When asked about Robert Downey Jr.'s possible return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Iron Man, Mark Ruffalo offered an optimistic answer. Taking over the role of Bruce Banner/Hulk in 2012's The Avengers, the actors co-starred in all four Avengers films thus far. They also shared the screen in Iron Man 3's hilarious post-credits scene. While not the most prominent friendship in the MCU, the pair developed a great dynamic throughout the Infinity Saga.

During the Emerald City Comic-Con Mean and Green: Mark Ruffalo Spotlight panel (via The Direct), Ruffalo was asked about the chances of Downey suiting back up as Iron Man in the MCU. While the actor didn't give a concrete answer, his response was optimistic about the idea. Read his full quote below:

Sad, but there is a time machine. And there are alternate universes and realities, so anything could happen.

Related: Why Thor...

The Arc Reactor has played a huge role in the MCU, first appearing in 2008’s Iron Man and ultimately serving as a symbol of Stark’s transformation from a greedy billionaire into a selfless tycoon. It’s a highly-advanced piece of technology that uses electromagnets to create an immense power source, and beyond the destructive weapons and powerful family legacy, its Stark Industry’s most important and memorable creation. Tony’s infamous Iron Man suit incorporates the Arc Reactor into its design, but it’s easy to miss exactly why he needs this device in the first place.

Iron Man was the first movie in the iconic MCU franchise, introducing Tony Stark and marking the beginning of his long-running character arc that would ultimately span twenty-two feature-length movies. Stark built several different Iron Man suits throughout the course of his career, and each one used the Arc Reactor in a slightly different way.

Obadiah Stane was instrumental in creating not only Iron Man, but also The Avengers.

Stane is among the MCU’s most foundational figures, but despite their shared love for Howard Stark and his company, both Tony and Obadiah had very differing opinions about how their operation should be run. Despite his death at the end of Iron Man, the villain moved the Avengers Initiative forward by galvanising Tony Stark, directly creating Iron Man, but also establishing Stark's heroic philosophy (and his protective obsession) that defined the Avengers up to Avengers: Endgame.

Related: All The Ways MCU Proved That Iron Man Was Right In Civil War

Obadiah Stane Created Iron Man By Killing Tony Stark

Obadiah Stane knew that war was good for business, putting him at odds with Tony Stark, who he believed would jeopardise his network of criminal activities feeding Stark Industries' weapons manufacturer and sales program. Ironically, Stane...

This article contains MCU spoilers

Unless you’re Martin Scorsese, chances are you’ve probably sat down for a Marvel movie and enjoyed it. Whether it be the formative days of 2012’s The Avengers, the bombastic action of Avengers: Endgame, or anything between or since, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has touched all corners of the industry… even the Academy Awards.

As MCU overlord Kevin Feige tries to add those golden statues to his own Infinity Gauntlet of awards, we’ve seen an uptick in “For Your Consideration” nods. While Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther is the only MCU movie to win an Academy Award, eyes are now on Wakanda Forever and Angela Bassett’s Best Supporting Actress nomination in 2023.

Still, as Disney churns out movies like Kang variants, there are those unsung heroes that go unnoticed. With awards season upon us, get out your Oscars polish because we’re about...

Warning! This post contains Spoilers for Batman Inc. #3In the latest issue of DC's Batman Inc., the dark truth about Ghost-Maker and Robin's death has come to light. When the Joker killed Jason Todd, it set off a tragic and far darker path where the second Robin was later resurrected, becoming the far more brutal villain and eventual anti-hero Red Hood. However, the sociopathic Ghost-Maker apparently saw Jason's death as a twisted opportunity.

In the new Batman Inc. #3 from Ed Brisson and John Timms, Ghost-Maker's current sidekick Clownhunter is kidnapped by a vigilante calling himself Phantom-One. Phantom-One was Ghost-Maker's answer to Batman's Robin in his mission to always be superior to the Dark Knight. In the wake of Jason's death, Ghost-Maker wanted to have his own sidekick who'd be even better. However, Ghost-Maker was an even worse mentor and father figure than Batman, only caring about training Phantom-One...

The McU's Phase 4 saw Sam Wilson finally take over the mantle of Captain America from Steve Rogers, a storyline that will develop further in Captain America: New World Order, made all the more poignant thanks to the simplicity of their first meeting in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. After completing his task of returning the Infinity Stones at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Steve decided to stay in the past and live a long life with Peggy. When his closest friends Bucky and Sam next saw him, he was an old man on his last mission to choose his successor as Captain America, a role he gifted to Sam.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw Sam come to terms with his new position, one which he is set to portray for the first time on the big screen in Captain America: New World Order. Yet this is only one...

In 2022, Iron Man lost his fortune, Black Panther lost his position as King of Wakanda, Spider-Man lost all his friends - and that's only scratching the surface of the endless suffering of Marvel's best and most powerful superheroes. Almost every major superhero experienced a profound disaster, suffered a loss or fought a new villain who pushed them to their absolute limit. Here's why every Marvel hero hit rock bottom in 2022 - and how things will change in 2023.

Marvel character overcoming major struggles is nothing new; creating characters with extraordinary powers and ordinary character flaws and difficulties is the company's standard when creating superhero stories to begin with. The 1960s Fantastic Four run stood out thanks to their interpersonal problems in an era when none existed, and Spider-Man, despite possessing super-strength and other superhuman abilities, still had to contend with paying rent. Even so, for every setback these characters experienced, they gained new understanding,...

James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" films (as well as the accompanying "Holiday Special") have greatly expanded the narrative possibilities of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Audiences have been treated to countless characters, creatures, and worlds, all of which have been delivered with Gunn's signature combination of imagination and wit. Of course, as wild and fresh as the cosmic elements of the MCU are, there's been no shortage of heart. Gunn was given the unenviable task of making us care about a cadre of characters including a sentient tree and a foul-mouthed raccoon and pulled it off with flying colors. With the writer and director moving over to lead DC Studios, fans can't help but wonder about the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy and their unique place in the MCU.

Luckily, there are plenty of characters from the comics who've either been a part of the team...

Having made appearances in a litany of films over the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man had a life that was anything but boring. As the hero that launched one of the biggest film franchises of all time, Tony Stark's story has been one of the McU's most prominent arcs so far. However, due to the sheer number of films and flashbacks he showed up in, it can be rather difficult to keep the narrative chronologically coherent.

Much of Tony's childhood was laid out at the beginning of 2008's Iron Man and in various pieces of dialogue, including his rocky relationship with his father, Howard, and his mastery of certain technological fields at prodigy-level ages. As a result, it's worthwhile to break down the timeline that solely focuses on Robert Downey Jr.'s time as Iron Man and Tony throughout the MCU.

Warning: Spoilers for Black Panther #12Marvel's Black Panther and Iron Man may be drastically different heroes in terms of temperament and abilities, but both share the same horrific flaw that's plunged them into trouble again and again in 2022. T'Challa and Tony Stark are two of the richest heroes in the Marvel Universe, capable of fantastic feats of engineering as well as goodwill. But Black Panther #12 reveals this goodwill often runs up against their major flaw: a failure to trust that eventually morphs into instinctual paranoia.

2022 has not been kind to either superhero. Iron Man was trapped on an alien world while chasing a villain with Godlike powers, became addicted to morphine, suffered a severe spinal injury and even resumed drinking after losing his home and fortune. For his part, Black Panther has spent the last year estranged from Wakanda; his people no longer accept him as king, and the resulting...

Justin Hammer hasn't been seen in the MCU since the Marvel one-shot "All Hail the King," but the upcoming Armor Wars film can redeem the villain that his own creator, Bob Layton, hates. Iron Man 2 introduces Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer as a comedic, fast-talking foil to Tony Stark, who never manages to accomplish much beyond delivering defective weapons. While Iron Man 2 keeps some core elements of the character from Hammer's comic book origins, Armor Wars can make Justin Hammer a more intimidating and memorable villain.

Originally announced as a Disney+ series and later retooled into a feature film, Armor Wars will follow James Rhodes, aka War Machine, as he navigates the problems of a post-Stark MCU still filled with Stark tech. Not much is known yet about the plot or cast specifics, but Stark-related characters like Justin Hammer, Pepper Potts, White Vision, and Morgan Stark could all make for reasonable inclusions.

Warning: Spoilers for Avengers Forever #12

Marvel's Mephisto knows the perfect way to torture Iron Man - and this torture only works because Tony Stark has suffered a massive relapse. Fans of the Armored Avenger are quite familiar with the character's long struggle with alcoholism, and Stark has made admirable strides to make sure he never makes the same mistake again. Unfortunately, Avengers Forever #12 reveals otherwise, and Mephisto's torture works because Iron Man has failed himself.

Iron Man's struggle with alcoholism occurred in the 70s and 80s; fans will no doubt remember the infamous Demon in a Bottle storyline that nearly ruined Tony's standing with the Avengers. The followup, Deliverance, began with Tony so desperate for a drink that he sold his own coat in a terrible winter storm for a bottle. In the modern era, Stark has curbed his habit, and even sponsored Captain Marvel during his own struggles with addiction.

In the MCU, Iron Man is famous for the pithy nicknames he gives his Avengers allies, forcing Thor to identify himself as "Point Break" to access Avengers tech. The implication is that teammates like Captain America have to go through similar embarrassment at Tony's say-so, but fans never actually get to find out Steve Rogers' identifier - at least, not in the movies.

In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor attempts to access the team's quinjet, but has to identify himself to do so. While the God of Thunder tries "Thor," "Son of Odin," "God of Thunder," and "Strongest Avenger," it's only when he names the 1991 surfer crime movie starring Patrick Swayze that the system recognizes his input. It's clearly a joke on Tony's part, teasing Thor over his resemblance to Swayze's character, but it turns out there is actually a reason Tony chooses to use this type of identifier with Avengers tech.

(Superhero Bits is a collection of stories, updates, and videos about anything and everything inspired by the comics of Marvel, DC, and more. For comic book movies, TV shows, merchandise, events, and whatever catches our eye, this is the place to find anything that falls through the cracks.)

In this edition of Superhero Bits:

The "Black Adam" reshoots were tremendously expensive.

"Daredevil: Born Again" has a very long shooting schedule.

"Shin Ultraman" is coming to Blu-ray.

DC Studios is working closely with DC Comics.

All that and more!

Stark Sentinels Will Be On The Hunt For Mutants In Invincible Iron Man

The current run of "Invincible Iron Man" in Marvel Comics is looking to shake things up. In particular, it looks like Stark tech is going to be used to hunt mutants, without Tony Stark's blessing. These Stark Sentinels are about to become a big part of the book,...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a wide array of characters, and several legacy heroes can continue into the McU's Phase 7 and beyond. With the Infinity Saga of the MCU introducing plenty of heroes and subsequently ending some of their respective journeys, the Multiverse Saga began introducing characters to carry on their legacy. This began with the McU's Phase 4 in a big way, with Marvel's first step into the multiverse bringing plenty of new characters with it.

While characters like Captain America, Iron Man, and Black Widow were either killed or retired during Avengers: Endgame, some other characters are still active in the MCU despite already having legacy heroes to take their place. From the other original Avengers like Thor, Hawkeye, and Hulk to other established heroes like Ant-Man and Black Panther, the MCU is already ushering in replacement heroes for the time beyond the Multiverse Saga. With that being said,...

Tom Holland's performance as Peter Parker-Man throughout the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe put him at the top of the list in terms of the most popular Spider-Man portrayals in history. While the action set pieces are memorable, it is Holland's work and the writing teams that really made the character shine.

The McU's Peter Parker is given some of the funniest quotes in the franchise as well as some of the most heartfelt. That's a line the character often walks and both sides help define who he is and the kind of hero he aspires to be.

"When You Can Do The Things That I Can, But You Don't...They Happen Because Of You.” Captain America: Civil War (2016)

The first scene to feature Peter Parker in the MCU sees him have a heart-to-heart with Tony Stark about being a superhero. Right from the start, it's evident...

Scarlet Witch appears to be dead in the current MCU timeline, but Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff will likely make her return in one of the McU's upcoming movies or TV shows. After first appearing as a secondary antagonist in the opening acts of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Scarlet Witch became a valued and powerful member of the acclaimed superhero team. However, a series of traumatic losses as documented in WandaVision and the dark corruption of the Darkhold led Scarlet Witch to make a villainous heel-turn and ultimately die in the collapsing Mount Wudagore in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Despite Scarlet Witch's apparent death, it seems likely Wanda return in one of the many upcoming MCU movies and shows in development. However, how and where it happens remains to be seen. With no Scarlet Witch solo movie announced to undercut the drama of her death, as happened...

Spoilers for Invincible Iron Man #5 by Marvel Comics

In a new preview for Iron Man's ongoing series, Tony Stark is being replaced by one of the last X-Men heroes readers would expect, as Emma Frost takes over his comic. In new cover art for Invincible Iron Man #5 by Marvel Comics, Frost takes center stage as she helps Tony out from rock bottom and attempts to save Marvel's mutants from their greatest new threat.

Marvel Comics shared a new cover for Invincible Iron Man #5 from Kael Ngu, where the X-Men's Emma Frost is spotlighted as the main hero in the series. Frost poses with a piece of Iron Man's armor as she holds his battle-damaged helmet, saying, "step aside, darling." The Invincible Iron Man logo is crossed out in white, as the title becomes "The Invincible Emma Frost," as the White Queen replaces Tony Stark on the front of...

This article contains major MCU spoilers

The Marvel Cinematic Universe loves its surprises. Highly anticipated post-credits scenes tease future appearances and adventures, while twists and reveals in the movies themselves either work as standard, or inform how you approach upcoming projects in the ever-expanding franchise. As characters evolve and motivations take shape, these tactics also combine to give past MCU films a new spin. And because Marvel now has so many blockbusters under its belt, its reveals often operate in a unique, interconnected way that don’t always comply with “the rules.” Just like the comics!

We’re looking back at some of the best and worst twists and turns the MCU has offered fans to date, and digging a little deeper into what did (or didn’t) make them work, from 2008’s Iron Man to 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

28. Skull Candy

Whatever happened to Hugo Weaving’s First Avenger villain,...

While audiences eagerly await his dive into the macabre with Renfield, Nicolas Cage's National Treasure 3 has gotten an optimistic update from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Cage was the face of the adventure franchise for its first two films, starring as historian, cryptographer and treasure hunter Benjamin Gates as he investigates treasures with major ties to American history with the help of archivist Dr. Abigail Chase, computer expert Riley Poole and his father, Patrick. Though met with mixed reviews, both National Treasure movies were hit with audiences, who have held out hope for a third film, and while Disney has focused their efforts on the sequel show, National Treasure: Edge of History, the chances for another feature adventure look to be bright.

In honor of National Treasure: Edge of History's release on Disney+, E! Online spoke with Jerry Bruckheimer to discuss the trajectory of the franchise. The producer offered...

Warning: Spoilers for Avengers Forever #12An army of Captain America variants is actually one of the worst teams in the Marvel Universe, and the company just admitted as much in their latest Avengers adventure. Steve Rogers, with over 80 years of comic book history, is the paragon of the Marvel Universe; as the moral center of the Avengers as well as the team's leader, he is an expert in battlefield tactics and often wins the day on his strategies alone. Unfortunately, Avengers Forever #12 reveals how his plans fall apart when he's not alone, and surrounded by an infinite number of alternate-universe selves.

In current comics continuity, the demon Mephisto has teamed up with his multiverse-spanning Council of Red (containing an infinite amount of Mephisto variants) to take control of the God Quarry: the space between realities which is said to hold unlimited power. To stop Mephisto's infinite horde, three teams of...

Doctor Strange may have deeper reasons to dislike Tony Stark beyond his personality, and it may have had something to do with Kang. Both Doctor Strange and Iron Man are arrogant, intelligent, and wealthy Avengers, which put them at odds in the few moments they shared in Avengers: Infinity War. There weren't many opportunities to see the two heroes interact in the Infinity Saga, but it was clear that their egos would have gotten in the way of a possible friendship even if they had more time to get to know each other.

Other MCU characters have their own reasons to hate Iron Man. For instance, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver witnessed their parents die due to one of Stark's missiles, and Mysterio saw Iron Man use his biggest work just for self-therapy purposes. Doctor Strange didn't have any personal grudge against Tony Stark, but while his aversion towards him may have stemmed from his ego,...

Spoilers for Invincible Iron Man by Marvel ComicsWith Tony Stark's tech falling into the wrong hands, his Iron Man armors are about to be turned into the ultimate X-Men killing weapon. In a new preview for Invincible Iron Man from Marvel Comics, the villain who bought Stark Industries will use his new assets to create Sentinels with Iron Man's armor, combining the two powerful techs into something even scarier in the Marvel Universe.

In a new preview for the upcoming arc of Invincible Iron Man by Gerry Duggan and Juan Frigeri, Marvel revealed that Feilong, Iron Man's dark opposite, who purchased Stark Industries, will use his resources to take down the X-Men by creating mutant-hunting Sentinels with Tony Stark's technology. Iron Man can only watch as the evil industrialist mounts his continued attack on Marvel's mutants, only this time, his greatest inventions are being used to take them down.

Iron Man 3 director Shane Black reveals that he was initially against setting the MCU film at Christmas, which would have broken a career tradition. Released in 2013 as part of Phase 2, Iron Man 3 was the last solo movie for Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. The MCU movie was met with mostly positive reviews from audiences and critics and boasted Black's signature sense of humor, which was something of a departure from the previous two films. Iron Man 3 sees Stark face off against Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who has developed a nanotechnology that has given him extremely dangerous superpowers, all during the holiday season.

In keeping with previous films that he had either written or directed like Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3 blends action with Christmas spirit in a unique way, but Black now reveals that he was initially against the idea.

Riri Williams, who was introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, may be super smart, but she is also already repeating some of Tony Stark's mistakes. Riri, an impressive MIT student, is clearly being poised as the next Iron Man within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her introduction in Wakanda Forever is the perfect set up for her upcoming show Ironheart, which will advance her character even further.

However, Riri may admire Iron Man so much that she neglects to realize he made mistakes, too. While Riri is powerful and smart, like Iron Man, she also comes off as arrogant and cocky, almost as though she believes she is invincible. This may be preventing her from learning from one of Tony's biggest mistakes in the MCU.

Related: Wakanda Forever's Riri Williams Complicates 1 New Captain America Detail

Riri Williams Is Repeating Tony Stark's Mistakes With His Technology

Riri not only excels at...

There’s the standard holiday movie-watching fare of A Christmas Story, Home Alone and Christmas Vacation, but why not settle in this year with a Shane Black movie? After all, Shane Black seems to always be wanting to get you in the Christmas spirit!

In a recent interview with Empire, Shane Black discussed how he fell into the Winter Wonderland and why he incorporates Christmas into nearly all of his movies. It’s been reported before that Black’s reliance on Christmas comes from the 1975 political thriller Three Days of the Condor. On using Christmas in his movies, Shane Black said, “You can wield Christmas in so many different ways…It can be used as this unifier, where you see the beauty of a city decked out in Christmas splendour, or you can use it as this bleak landscape against which those same festive decorations seem to belie something else,...

Warning: Spoilers for Avengers Forever #12Marvel's Thanos may be one of the franchise's most powerful and intimidating villains, but Mephisto actually beats him in one major way: following through on a now-classic MCU moment that nearly killed Iron Man. The character has tremendous physical strength and in the comics even possesses telepathy and a mind hardened against psychic attacks; the emergence of Thanos almost necessitates a team-up. But in Avengers Forever #12, the demon Mephisto proves he is far more ruthless than Thanos - and entirely without honor.

In current comics continuity, the entire Multiverse is threatened by the machinations of Mephisto, the Marvel Universe's equivalent of Satan. The all-important God Quarry is under attack by an infinite number of demons, and the threat is so massive that three teams of Avengers are necessary to combat Mephisto: the 616 Avengers, the Multiversal Avengers and the Prehistoric Avengers. Together, they team up to...

The McU's Phase Four has come to an end, with the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania already having fans excited about the next phase of the franchise. While Phase Four has received its fair share of criticism, it has still managed to retain some of the franchise's original spark through various projects.

Working in its favor was how the vast and ever-growing universe has kept the essence of its original Avengers at the heart of its trajectory. From Doctor Strange's slow character growth to Shuri's family burdens and wrath, some characters in Phase Four have proven to be excellent counterparts to their predecessors.

Bruce Banner - Jennifer Walters

Beyond the obvious similarity in physical green appearance and super strength, Jennifer also proves to be the counterpart to Bruce Banner through her personality and background. Much like Bruce's character, Jennifer too has impeccable timing when it comes to getting laughs from her audience,...