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Kang and his variants were the first to discover the existence of the multiverse in the 31st century. They sought to communicate with each other and exchange knowledge and technology to develop their realities. However, not all variants of this antagonist favored peace, leading to a multiversal war among all versions of Kang to determine the most powerful and worthy timeline.
Ultimately, He Who Remains, one of Kang's variants, emerged victorious and unified all realities into one - the primary timeline of the MCU, also known as the Sacred Timeline. He Who Remains established the Time Variance Authority (TVA), headquartered outside of space and time, with the sole mission of preventing branching timelines. In essence, this variant used the TVA to seal off the Marvel multiverse for years, maintaining the existence of a singular reality.
However, in the final episode of season 1 of Loki, He Who Remains was slain by Sylvie, a variant of Loki, thereby unleashing the multiverse and setting the stage for numerous film projects such as Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Naturally, other variants of He Who Remains were also officially released, including Kang the Conqueror - the villain set to appear in the blockbuster Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania on February 17.
Ironheart could be a variant of Kang
Now that the multiverse has been 'unsealed,' the question arises as to how many variants of He Who Remains Marvel Studios will explore. Besides Kang the Conqueror, will any other versions of this character appear in the MCU? A theory on Reddit suggests that Marvel may combine Riri Williams/Ironheart with Nathaniel Richards/Iron Lad, implying that the new Iron Man will be a variant of Kang in this cinematic universe.
In the original comic books, Nathaniel Richards was once expelled from his own timeline and inadvertently traveled back to the past. Upon learning that he would become a formidable villain in the future, Nathaniel decided to change his fate, becoming the superhero Iron Lad and even forming the Young Avengers team.
After 15 years of development, Marvel Studios has often reimagined the storylines of this character for another character within its cinematic universe. Hence, the hypothesis of merging Ironheart with Iron Lad is entirely plausible, especially as Phase 5 of the MCU will delve deeper into the story involving Kang the Conqueror.
In fact, these two superheroes also share many similarities. They both utilize similar technology to Tony Stark to craft iron suits with comparable combat and defensive capabilities. Moreover, combining these two characters would simplify Marvel Studios' quest to find the most worthy successor to Iron Man, who already has numerous potential candidates like Morgan Stark, Harley Keener, James Rhodes, or even 'Friendly Neighborhood' Peter Parker.
The difference in gender between Riri Williams and Nathaniel Richards is not a major concern for Marvel Studios, as they are always ready to innovate and adapt to serve the overarching MCU storyline. Previously, Marvel introduced a female variant of Loki (Sylvie) and altered the genders of 3 main characters in Eternals, including Makkari, Sprite, and Ajak. There have been some rumors that this studio may even bring a female variant of Wade Wilson, Lady Deadpool, to the big screen in the future as the comedic mutant officially joins the MCU.
Ironheart could potentially take on the role of founding Young Avengers alongside Iron Lad
Alongside developing stories related to the multiverse, Marvel Studios is also preparing for a younger future with younger superheroes. The Phase 4 films of the MCU have shown their intent to bring the Young Avengers to the silver screen in the near future, with members like Riri Williams (Ironheart), Kate Bishop (Hawkeye), America Chavez, Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), Billy and Tommy Maximoff, or even Hulk's son, Skaar.
As mentioned earlier, in the original, Nathaniel Richards is the one who founded the Young Avengers, while also frequently assuming the leadership role of the team. Due to the relative similarities in intelligence and combat prowess between Nathaniel and Riri Williams, this duo could 'walk in each other's shoes' if they both join the Young Avengers. This issue could be entirely resolved by intertwining the storylines of Ironheart and Iron Lad, thereby helping Marvel shorten the number of films to be produced and focusing more on the quality of each project.
Moreover, if Riri Williams becomes the founder of the Young Avengers, this team may appear on the big screen sooner than expected. The television series dedicated to Ironheart will debut this year, while Phase 6 of the MCU (from 2024 to 2026) still holds many undisclosed projects. One of which could well be the Young Avengers, as Marvel Studios now has the complete lineup needed for this team.
Ironheart becoming a variant of Kang is a necessary surprise for the MCU
In early 2025, Marvel Studios will release the blockbuster Fantastic Four to kick off Phase 6 of the MCU. With the introduction of Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, the son of Nathaniel Richards, fans will naturally anticipate a standalone film for Iron Lad, rather than combining this character with another superhero.
However, turning Ironheart into a variant of Kang could be a necessary surprise to help the MCU address many issues and better prepare for their multiverse stories. Riri Williams possesses a genius intellect, capable of quickly grasping and applying advanced Wakandan technology, while also independently creating many useful devices. This detail could naturally explain why Riri is a variant of Kang - who is also a genius who developed time travel technology.
This will not only create one of the biggest surprises for the next phase of the MCU but also help upcoming Marvel Studios projects become more interconnected, enriching the multiverse storyline. Additionally, the importance of Ironheart will be elevated, and it's very likely this character will become the centerpiece of the MCU in the future, similar to how Marvel did with Iron Man over a decade ago.
Sources: Marvel Studios, ScreenRant
