Robert Downey Jr. was without a doubt the biggest and most popular star of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga, but you could also make a well-founded case stating that the villains of his solo trilogy rank among the franchise’s bottom tier.
Each installment in the Iron Man saga saw genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark pitted against an adversary he’d wronged in the past to whom he bore at least a superficial similarity or two; one who also ended up seeking revenge on the reformed arms dealer by weaponizing technology that had a direct link to the armored superhero’s past.
Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane, Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash, Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer, and Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian all fit the exact same bill, but the latter is still holding out hope for an invite to return to the MCU one day, or at least that’s what he hinted at when asked during an interview with ComicBook.
“I can’t say. I’m still waiting on an email back from Marvel. It’s been a couple of years now, but I’ll let you know. No, I haven’t actually. Um, and I suppose I’ve just written off the idea because of what happened to Aldrich Killian at the end of Iron Man 3 but at the same time, within those worlds kind of anything is possible, and yet I still haven’t received a call from anyone at Marvel. So I’m not sure if it’s in the works, but who knows.”
If fellow Iron Man enemy Trevor Slattery can make an unexpected return in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Wonder Man, then there’s no real reason why Pearce’s Killian can’t do the same. Obviously, being dead presents a sizeable roadblock, but it’s not as if the MCU has any issues with claiming a certain character is dead before bringing them back for another adventure further down the line.
Then again, the head of Advanced Idea Mechanics isn’t held in particularly high esteem by the fandom, so we’re leaning towards this one being unlikely.