It could be the most ridiculous rumour of 2015 so far… but 13-year-old Ty Simpkins is rumoured to take over as Iron Man in Iron Man 4.
That’s right folks – Tony Stark’s teenage helper from Iron Man 3 is rumoured to return in the upcoming sequel… and it looks as though someone has decided to attribute the lead role to the young star as he will apparently take the baton from Robert Downey Jr.
Yea right… but they may be a ring of truth in there somewhere.
According to Movie Pilot, it looks as though Robert Downey Jr. might be bowing out as early as 2019… with the baby-faced Ty Simpkins taking over.
“There are rumors circulating already for a hypothetical new Iron Man in ‘Iron Man 4’, set for 2019!” they said. “Who could possibly replace RDJ… It’s Ty Simpkins, who already appeared as Harley Keener from ‘Iron Man 3’.”
First things first – No.
But more importantly, could this actually give us an idea of where the Iron Man franchise is heading?
We already know that Ty Simpkins has signed up to Marvel with a multi-film deal… but while it’s unlikely that he’ll take over from RDJ by 2019, could he eventually be moulded into the new Iron Man by Tony Stark?
It’s no secret that Robert Downey Jr. can’t keep playing Iron Man forever. And I can’t help thinking that Marvel may have already begun planning for that. We’ve already seen that Ty Simpkins’ character has a keen interest in science and technology. But could that interest be fostered by Tony Stark?
Could we see him preparing Simpkins for the road that lays ahead?
It’s certainly a possibility, and would tie in nicely to the already established relationship between the young boy and Iron Man. But don’t expect this to happen anytime soon. After all, 2019 is a little close for Simpkins to seamlessly step into the Iron Man suit. And this kind of story would no doubt need a lot of setting up.
Could it happen eventually? Perhaps… but for now, I get the feeling that Iron Man’s suit rests safely in the hands of Robert Downey Jr.
What do you think of this crazy rumour? Would Ty Simpkins (eventually) make a great Iron Man? Let us know what you think in the comments below…