Marvel Is Working On An Animated Iron Man Disney Plus Series
The last time audiences saw Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in the climax of Anthony and Joe Russo’s 2019 film “Avengers: Endgame,” he used the six all-powerful Infinity Stones to murder thousands of battlefield assailants. The Stones, however, were so lousy with cosmic energy that they ultimately destroyed his body, leaving him another casualty of the Infinity War. Since that movie, Iron Man has been referenced in a number of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, most notably the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” sequel “Far From Home,” wherein Peter Parker longed for Tony’s advice and mentorship.
Indeed, the death of Tony was so dramatic that the head honchos of the MCU have been wise to leave it alone. True, death is typically temporary in comic books, but it was tasteful to allow Tony to remain dead. Of course, the same honchos are now working around the death of Tony Stark by casting Downey as Doctor Doom in upcoming Marvel projects.
It also seems that Iron Man will be back in television form. According to a new report in Variety, Disney+ will soon debut the animated series “Marvel’s Iron Man and His Awesome Friends,” a kid-friendly series that will feature a gentler version of the eponymous superhero. The title alludes to the 1981 animated TV show “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends,” which saw Peter Parker teaming up with Ice Man and Firestar. “Awesome Friends” will see a child version of Tony Stark teaming up with his best friends Ironheart (real name: Riri Williams) and Iron Hulk (real name: Amadeus Cho).
This is a lightweight children’s fantasy from the description, and will not be canonically connected to any of the other extant MCU media.
Iron Man and his Awesome Friends
The show’s logline, provided by Variety, reads thusly:
“To help them in their superhero endeavors, [the heroes] each have their own Iron Suits that allow them to fly and give them each enhanced super-strength. In addition, Iron Man has a Nano-Shield; Ironheart has a Heartbeat Bubble forcefield to protect people, and Iron Hulk has his strong Iron Boom clap and Iron Hulk Stomp. [They will] work out of their beachfront base, Iron Quarters (IQ), under the supervision of their superpowered android, Vision, and their furry pup, Gamma, who has her very own Iron Pup suit and accompanies the Iron Friends on many of their adventures.”
Riri Williams first appeared in the MCU in Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” where she was played by Dominique Thorn. Thorn will also reprise her role in the live-action series “Ironheart,” which is tenatively scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in 2025. “Iron Man and His Awesome Friends,” on the other hand, will star Mason Blomberg as Tony Stark, Kapri Ladd as Riri Williams, and Aidyn Ahn as Amadeus Cho.
“Awesome Friends” follows the mold of the 2021 series “Spidey and His Amazing Friends,” which was also released under the Disney Junior label. That show featured kid versions of Peter Parker, Gwen Stacey, and Miles Morales, all of them Spider-People engaging in gentle adventures. Tony Stark also appeared in that series, but he was played by John Stamos. “Awesome Friends” has no relation to “Amazing Friends.”
Adolescents of the 2010s loved Marvel’s big-screen superheroes, but they wouldn’t have been so alluring had they not been given a chance to take root in their childhoods via cartoons, comics, and kid-friendly fun. “Awesome Friends” is a reminder that characters like Iron Man and Ironheart should start with children.
