What If...? Season 2 Iron Man Toy Teases A Wild New Look MCU Fans May Recognize
With Marvel Studios' recent flood wave of content, it's easy for even the most devoted Marvel Cinematic Universe fan to forget about "What If...?" However, the studio's first foray into animation is returning for future seasons, and a new toy gives us a great look at Iron Man's new armor.
The image, posted on r/HotToys, showcases Tony Stark's new Iron Man armor and all of its colorful glory. The armor is very reminiscent of the Hulkbuster armor from "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Infinity War," with a much larger frame than Stark's typical Iron Man suits. However, this one comes from the planet Sakaar, where Thor fought Hulk in "Thor: Ragnarok," with the colors and alien decals making it much more unique armor than the usual red and yellow combination. Remember, he built his first prototype in a cave with a box of scraps, so imagine what the genius billionaire could do if given the alien technology on Sakaar.
Tony's Sakaar Iron Man armor briefly appears in the "What If...?" season finale as the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) assembles his Guardians of the Multiverse to take down Infinity Ultron. He whisks Gamora away for his team, leaving Tony in his universe, and while it may have confused people at the time, there initially were plans to explore this storyline in Season 1.
What If...? pushed Tony Stark's and Gamora's episode to Season 2
Gamora's inclusion in the Guardians of the Multiverse was an odd decision for "What If...?" Season 1. Although she proved her worth in the fight against Infinity Ultron, every other member the Watcher picked for his team had an episode devoted to them, but where was hers?
Ahead of "What If...?" Season 1's debut on Disney+, rumors swirled online about an episode focusing on Gamora hunting Tony Stark. As if that wasn't enough, subsequent concept art leaks backed up these claims, showing Gamora wearing Thanos' armor and Tony Stark inside a Sakaarian Iron Man suit. The art also includes looks at Infinity Ultron, Loki, and the Collector, all as they appeared in Season 1, further proving that Marvel Studios cut the episode focusing on Gamora and Tony.
While the studio ultimately didn't include the episode in Season 1, the plan is seemingly to feature Gamora's and Tony's story in "What If...?" Season 2. During an appearance on Deadline's "Hero Nation" podcast, head writer and executive producer A.C. Bradley said, "We did have another comedy episode in the season, which is the one that has been pushed to Season 2 due to COVID production issues." While COVID ultimately shortened "What If...?" Season 1, MCU fans will eventually get the long-lost episode focusing on Gamora and Tony whenever Season 2 finally lands on Disney+.