I am convinced that Zeke Stane's MCU debut in Ironheart has massive implications for Iron Man's legacy

I was prepared to see Riri Williams continue Iron Man's legacy in Ironheart but MCU completely shocked everyone with the major reveal of a new character, who is setting up to be the next mightiest Avenger.

Disney+ released the first batch of the Dominique Thorne-led show, where she reprises her titular character from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

While it was clear that Riri Williams would continue Iron Man's legacy, the first three episodes had major callbacks to 2008 Iron Man, including the franchise's first villain, Obadiah Stane.

Obadiah is an iconic character from the Iron Man film who ultimately died while trying to defeat Tony Stark. However, Ironheart revealed that for the outside world, Obadiah was not a bad guy and is believed to have died in a plane crash.

With his image and legacy intact, the first three episodes revealed that Alden Ehrenreich's Joe McGillicuddy is none other than Ezekiel "Zeke" Stane, Obadiah's son. This shocking secret came when Riri accidentally dropped Joe's bag of ashes, labelled "Obadiah S'', which made it clear.

However, for anyone assuming that Stane's son would also fight for the bad side is wrong, as Zeke's character is shaping out to be the exact opposite of his father, who will potentially carry forward Iron Man's legacy.

More on this in our story.

I think Ironheart is setting up for an unconventional legacy to Iron Man

While I thought Riri Williams' Ironheart would naturally continue Iron Man's legacy, the MCU completely shocked everyone by switching things up. I have always admired the franchise's ability to connect things with the past and the big reveal in the first batch of episodes was a treat to watch, setting up an exciting future for Iron Man's legacy.

Who would have thought Iron Man's first MCU villain would eventually continue his legacy? However, that is the approach Ironheart is taking, and I am excited to see how it plays out in the upcoming episodes.

To brush up on your memory, actor Jeff Bridges made his MCU debut as Obadiah Stane in 2008 in Iron Man. While his character died in the movie, he became the first major MCU and Iron Man villain.

Obadiah became his Iron Monger persona from the comics to fight Tony Stark, who eventually died in the large-scale arc reactor explosion in the film, concluding his character arc. While Iron Man defeated his first villain, Ironheart shocked everyone by introducing his son, Zeke Stane.

The reveal that Joe McGillicuddy is Zeke Stane was not only shocking but also set up an unconventional legacy for Iron Man. After Riri discovers the secret of his identity, he reveals how he entered into dangerous and illegal technology to feel connected to his late father, Obadiah Stane, with whom he had a rocky relationship.

In my opinion, this was the first major hint that Zeke Stane would be nothing like his father and would take on a different approach, similar to a weapons manufacturer who eventually became one of the strongest Avengers on Earth.

These suspicions were cleared when Zeke spells out his mission, which is nothing like his father's. He reveals that his interest in technology is not for weaponry like his father's, but to help people with it. That's surely a young Iron Man in the making.

It is also interesting that MCU would set up such an unconventional legacy for Iron Man with his first villain's son.

While Robert Downey Jr. will now not return as Iron Man and has joined the bad guys as Doctor Doom for Avengers: Doomsday, his Iron Man legacy will always contain a hint of the criminal world, thanks to Obadiah Stane's connection with the MCU's potential Iron Man.

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