What If…? showcased the different sides and iterations of the Marvel superheroes. The genius playboy billionaire philanthropist superhero is among the Marvel fans' favorites -- thanks to Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal in the live-action movies. However, some noticed that Iron Man wasn't well represented in the animated series.
What If…? Consistently Downplays Iron Man
Many Marvel fans consider Iron Man one of the strongest superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some even considered him the best Avengers of all time.
However, the character had been downplayed in Marvel's What If...? According to Screen Rant, the series highlighted the different incarnations of the superheroes in MCU who were not prominent in movies. But, the way it treated Iron Man was pretty surprising from his first appearance to the finale.
Tony Stark, a.k.a Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), was easily killed by an insane Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) in episode 3. He became a mindless Star-Tech zombie in episode 5 and was bamboozled by Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) in episode 6.
Iron Man was the centerpiece superhero of the mainline MCU, but he was reduced into a funny and less important figure throughout the first season of Marvel's What If...?
The Watcher Made The Worst Insult To Iron Man in What If...? Finale
What If...? Season 1 did not only mistreat Iron Man, it also insulted the well-beloved character. Iron Man wanted to join the superheroes assembled by The Watcher known as the Guardians of the Multiverse to battle Ultron in the finale. However, The Watcher told Iron Man, "not you, stark," and only took Gamora on his quest.
While Iron Man might not beat Ultron alone, his presence in the group could make a huge difference against the latter. After all, it was Stark and Bruce Banner who programmed the self-aware, self-teaching, and artificial intelligence Ultron.
The Watcher rejecting Iron Man to be among the Guardians of the Multiverse is the worst insult for Iron Man, Screen Rant noted. However, Marvel may also be sending a message by downplaying the character because RDJ's Iron Man died in Avengers: Endgame.
They might be hinting that no other version of Iron Man is capable of saving the universe. Regardless, Iron Man fans are not happy with the way What If...? portrayed Iron Man.
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