'Iron Man 4' update: Stark will still be around

Robert Downey Jr.is shown in this photo.Reuters/Stefan Wermuth

Marvel Studios has moved on to the third phase of building the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). After releasing a slew of movies that makes up the third installment of their story-telling production, many have noticed that one of its early film franchise — "Iron Man" — is missing from the list. Many fans are hoping that Tony Stark dons his iron suit again for a stand-alone film.

There had been reports about how Marvel Studios might adapt the comics' storyline of passing the mantle to the new Iron Man Riri Williams. In an interview with Time, long-time Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis said that they are cooking something up in connection with passing the superhero baton.

He shared, "We're in the middle of a very big Tony Stark storyline that converges with three other arcs. His best friend died, his company is collapsing and he's finding out who his biological parents were all at the same time. That's stressful for a character who is wired the way Tony is wired and has dependency issue the way Tony does."

Marvel Studios, the film production handling the movies, have always been independent from its comics counterpart. The cinematic universe has always strived to stay truthful to the story arcs but at the same time adding something fresh to tell its movie fans.

As of press time, there aren't any concrete updates on "Iron Man 4's" release. The studio has announced that they have three untitled movies and fans are hoping that "Iron Man" will be one of them. The possibility of a fourth movie in phase four is still in Marvel Studio's playbook. Film critics and fans alike will be anticipating where the film studio and Robert Downey Jr. will take the adventures of genius businessman Tony Stark and his mechanical suit.