Marvel Studios first announced plans for an Armor Wars TV series on Disney+ in 2020. Two years later, we'd learn that it was being redeveloped as a movie, and since then, updates have been few and far between. Now, the project has become one of the MCU's biggest question marks as the studio scales back its output to prioritise quality over quantity.
The original plan was reportedly for it to adapt elements of the classic comic book storyline, following Rhodey as he dealt with the fallout of Tony Stark's death and his technology falling into the wrong hands after the events of Avengers: Endgame.
Don Cheadle was set to headline the project, with Secret Invasion laying some of the groundwork for his next adventure by revealing that he'd been in the hands of the Skrulls since his injury in Captain America: Civil War. However, in a jam-packed Multiverse Saga, an exploration of what the Department of Damage Control has been doing with Iron Man's technology has been put to one side.
We're still expecting Tony's armour to be the basis of mutant-hunting Sentinels, but could the MCU get a new Iron Man in the wake of the Multiverse-shaking Avengers: Secret Wars?
While we'd recommend taking this with a hefty pinch of salt, a new rumour suggests Armor Wars is now being reworked into an Iron Man movie for the MCU's next saga.
With Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars set to conclude the Multiverse Saga, many fans are expecting a soft reboot of the MCU. That would create the perfect opportunity to reintroduce iconic characters in new forms, and few would be more significant than Tony Stark.
Robert Downey Jr. is already returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom rather than Iron Man. However, that doesn't necessarily mean he will eventually be back as Tony Stark (he's already reprised the role for Disney Parks, and his Marvel work remains incredibly lucrative).
Alternatively, Marvel Studios could use Armor Wars as a launching pad for a younger Tony, which wouldn't necessarily undo the emotional impact of the original's sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame.
Marvel Studios is coming to the San Diego Comic-Con next weekend, and we're expecting some announcements. Whether this will be among them remains to be seen, though we wouldn't bank on it, for now.
As always, you can let us know your thoughts on this MCU rumour in the comments section below.