'Iron Man 4' Release Date, News & Update: Upcoming Movie A Reboot? Marvel Confirms New Lead?

"Iron Man 4" release date rumors continue to suggest the upcoming movie's existence even without an official confirmation from Marvel. There have been talks that a 4th installment could not push through because of several reasons, but both the studio and Robert Downey Jr. have both kept mum about the real status of the movie.

New "Iron Man 4" reports, however, claim that fans might see a different Tony Stark should the rumored new movie get the green light. As Vine Report mentioned, the comic version is gearing up to pass the suit to 15-year-old African American genius Riri Williams. Although it has not been confirmed whether this storyline will make it to the big screens, fans have started to speculate that it can eventually be used in the MCU later on.

This was not the first time "Iron Man 4" rumors suggested a reboot of some kind. The idea first surfaced after the widespread Sony hacks circulated, and an email exchange among Marvel execs leaked online.

“Question for you both: One day soon we will be rebooting the Iron Man franchise with new actors,” Marvel’s Alan Fine said in a leaked email addressed to Tom Cohen and Kevin Feige. “In that reboot would you change the events of the first trilogy? E.g. Obadiah becomes a true father figure to Tony. Pepper gets jealous and she becomes the one that gets him thrown out of the company and tries to kill him for walking away from defense contracts?”

“Pepper Potts falls in love with a Caucasian Rhodey instead of Tony?” the email continued. “It’s almost like setting up an alternate universe to the first trilogy. You guys are not seeing this?”

Previous reports hinted that Robert Downey Jr.'s return in "Iron Man 4" might be a far-fetched idea. Given the actor's age by the time the rumored 2020 release date happens, all the action scenes might prove to be too difficult for him.

"Iron Man 4" release date updates are hinting on the possibility of a 2020 launch, and could possibly be shown after "Avengers: Infinity War." However, Vine Report noted that despite the MCU timeline, Marvel can still opt to make "Iron Man 4" into a sort of a prequel following the events of "Captain America: Civil War."

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