'Iron Man 4' cast news: Tony Stark to be replaced by Dr. Doom, Riri Williams?

(Facebook/ironman)Riri Williams, the newest "Iron Man" in the comics, is rumored to be featured in "Iron Man 4."

Even though a fourth "Iron Man" film has yet to be confirmed in development, the Internet is still abuzz about the possibility of an "Iron Man 4." More importantly, there has been some speculations that Robert Downey Jr. may get replaced by a different character.

Marvel Illustrator Alex Maleev shared a sketch of the Iron Man suit on Twitter, but this was no ordinary suit — this was worn by none other than supervillain Dr. Doom. This sparked rumors of Marvel Studios adapting the character in the fourth "Iron Man" film. And despite being separate from Marvel Comics, the studio could still opt to shake things up.

Another popular report is that Tony Stark will be replaced by Riri Williams, a 15-year-old MIT student who was able to reverse engineer the suit that Stark created. Time exclusively reported on the revelation of a young, black woman taking over the Iron Man suit from Tony Stark after the comic book event series "Civil War II."  Again, there is no assurance that Marvel Studios and Disney will translate the new Iron Man (or woman) into film, particulary "Iron Man 4." However, it is still possible since the Marvel Cinematic Universe repeatedly draws and takes inspiration from the comic books.  Should Riri Williams be introduced in "Iron Man 4," fans already have an actress in mind: Skai Jackson, who is known for starring in Disney Channel shows "Jessie" and subsequent spin-off "Bunk'd." Coincidentally, "Invincible Iron Man" artist and co-creator Mike Deodato, Jr. revealed via his Twitter handle that Jackson was indeed the basis for Riri Williams.

Given the likeness and age similarity, Jackson would make a perfect addition to "Iron Man 4." However, since these are only rumors, fans should take this news with a grain of salt.

For now, fans can catch Tony Stark on the silver screen in the two-part superhero film "Avengers: Infinity War."

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