While it was earlier reported that “Iron Man 4” might take some time to be finalized as lead actor Robert Downey Jr. reportedly demands for a higher pay, news about where the possible next Iron Man film might be heading to have surfaced and it involves Spider-Man’s Mary Jane Watson in a surprising role.
Reports say that planning and production of the fourth Iron Man film have been delayed because of Downey himself. The 50-year-old actor reportedly demanded a $50 million increase in his salary to continue portraying Iron Man. This does make enough sense since the “Sherlock Holmes” star is currently the highest paid actor in the world and has been holding the title for the past three years now.
According to Venture Capital Post, Marvel Studios really intends to do a follow-up film to 2013’s “Iron Man 3” and director Shane Black believes Downey will indeed return for another film after negotiations have been finalized.
The Christian Post reports that “Iron Man 4” is expected to take off in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s third phase, which is not happening before 2019. With negotiations with Downey still ongoing, there is nothing really solid yet about the film’s plot, cast, or release date. However, recent reports suggest that the fourth Iron Man film may be based on the upcoming issue of the “Invincible Iron Man” comic book series.
Marvel recently announced on their website that the fourth issue of Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez’s “Invincible Iron Man” comics will be released this December. The two writers have confirmed that Mary Jane Watson is indeed part of the issue and that her character will be taking on a new and unexpected role.
According to Newsarama, MJ, who is now Peter Parker’s ex-wife in the comics, will be joining Tony Stark in his latest venture. With this, speculations that a possible romance between Tony Stark and Spidey’s former girl might occur have been making the rounds on the internet.
Comic book fans will recall that MJ and Peter have broken up after the events of the “Superior Spiderman” and “One Moment in Time” story arcs in the comic books. It can also be recalled that in the comics, Stark, and his long-time assistant Pepper Pots were never really romantically involved.
In fact, Pepper went on to marry Happy Hogan in the comics. The film adaptation though saw the romance between Downey’s Tony Stark and Pepper Pots, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. The two were even engaged in the last Iron Man film.
Comic book writer Bendis confirmed that Spider-Man’s former wife and Tony already know each other since MJ used to live in the Avengers Tower. Bendis teased that the kind of relationship the unlikely pair will end up having is a big part of what he would like the people to buy the comic book for.
Though Bendis didn’t elaborate on what the nature of the relationship between Watson and Stark will be, he did hint that it will be something new and interesting as it will be a new territory for both characters.
While it is worth noting that MJ and Tony’s romantic involvement is a huge possibility, some reports claim that for a major character like MJ to just be included in the long list of Tony’s women doesn’t give justice to her character at all. While the romantic plot may be new to fans, she’s definitely more than just an accessory and taking her a notch down won’t really do well for the character appreciation-wise, reports say.
Spidey’s former flame could end up being Stark’s new publicist, crisis manager, the next CEO of Stark Industries, or even the Iron Maiden, International Business Times reports.
This is also a plausible role for the character as Bendis notes that Mary Jane is a grown-up woman who has been through a lot. Her life didn’t pan out the way she expected it to be, but she’s definitely ready to kick ass.
Tony and MJ shouldn’t become a couple in the MCU!