Warning! Spoilers ahead for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.,Marvel fails Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in three different ways in
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. MCU’s latest blockbuster continues Doctor Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) personal story beyond the Infinity Saga. But through his new adventures,
 
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness inadvertently ruins Tony Stark and his legacy in the MCU.,Directed by Sam Raimi with the story written by Michael Waldron,
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness dives deep into the concept of the multiverse after the idea was briefly touched upon in the original
Doctor Strange film and has since appeared in multiple MCU projects. In the sequel, the titular sorcerer finds himself protecting the 
MCU’s newest hero, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) who has the unique capability of easily traveling from one universe to another. Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), on the other hand, also makes her Marvel return after the events of
WandaVision as she tries to reunite with her kids, Tommy and Billy.,Related: Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Easter Eggs & MCU References,Unlike some MCU Phase 4 projects, Iron Man doesn’t have any direct involvement in
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After his death in
Avengers: Endgame, it has been clear that the franchise is trying to move on from his involvement to pave the way for new leaders to emerge. Despite this, his presence continues to loom large through his legacy, including his heroic snap that defeated Thanos (Josh Brolin). Beyond that, his ties to heroes like Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Vision (Paul Bettany) continue to shape the MCU. Inadvertently, however,
Doctor Strange 2 fails Iron Man in more ways than one.,Thanks to its multiversal narrative,
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced the Illuminati. Per the Marvel Comics, the Illuminati is a secret team of extremely powerful superheroes who make decisions on important issues. In print, the original line-up includes Iron Man, Black Panther, Black Bolt, Namor, Professor X, Mister Fantastic, and Doctor Strange — each one represents a superhero sector, with Tony Stark functioning as the Avengers’ delegate. Marvel Studios debuted a slightly different roster with Earth-838’s Illuminati, however. Peggy Carter’s (Hayley Atwell) Captain Carter, Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and Maria Rambeau’s (Lashana Lynch) Captain Marvel all joined the revamped line-up alongside the classics of Black Bolt (Anson Mount), Mister Fantastic (John Krasinski), Professor X (Patrick Stewart).,The
Illuminati team in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness assembled by Doctor Strange noticeably didn’t have Iron Man on the roster. Considering Tony Stark’s role in the Avengers in the Sacred Timeline, not to mention the fact that he had been an intrinsic member of the group in Marvel Comics, the genius, billionaire should be in Doctor Strange’s Illuminati roster. While Captain Carter could have been representing the Avengers, Captain America, in general, functions more as the moral leader of the Avengers. Iron Man has always been the brains for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Since the Illuminati is created to make tough decisions for the greater good of the universe, the pragmatic Tony deserves a spot in the group. For what it’s worth, there were rumors that Tom Cruise was supposed to play an
alternate version of Iron Man in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so it’s possible that Marvel Studios considered including the genius billionaire in the Illuminati team. But, they ultimately scrapped the idea.,The Illuminati in
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness uses Ultron bots as guards. Unfortunately, the film didn’t explain where they came from. But Ultron has always been associated with Iron Man in the MCU, although in the Marvel Comics, it was the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) who spearheaded the Ultron Initiative. The creation of the
Avengers: Age of Ultron villain significantly impacted Tony Stark’s Phase 3 arc in the franchise as he was racked with guilt for the damage that the corrupt artificial intelligence caused. But in
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Earth-838, the Ultron Initiative appears to have been a success with the Illuminati using Ultron sentries. This further proves that Tony Stark should have been part of the Illuminati.,Related: Doctor Strange 2’s Biggest (& Best) Cameo Explained,While it is possible that
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ Illuminati from Earth-838 was created by Pym, taking this narrative route would have a lesser impact on MCU’s interconnected storytelling as only those who are well-versed with Marvel Comics would know about the possibility. And, since the film didn’t reveal the origins of the Ultron bots, the general public’s assumption would be that there were created by Tony. Otherwise, if Iron Man did create Ultron and his sentries in
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, then it strengthens the argument that he should have been part of the secret group and might require an explanation in
Doctor Strange 3 if the story allows.,Arguably the biggest way
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness failed Iron Man was how it explicitly established that there were different ways to defeat Thanos that didn’t include the hero’s sacrifice. In
Avengers: Infinity War, the sorcerer used his ability to look into the future to find a path where they could defeat the Titan. According to him, he saw more than 14 million possibilities but there was only one way to take down the villain. From there, he set the Avengers towards that lone path, and in
Avengers: Endgame, the idea was that to be able to win against Thanos, Iron Man should sacrifice himself. The whole scheme worked, the purple alien was defeated by Iron Man’s sacrificial snap. But in
Doctor Strange 2‘ Earth-838, Thanos was defeated by
the Professor X led Illuminati. The exact terms of how exactly they beat the Titan are unknown and chances are that Marvel Studios may never reveal them, but it highlights that Iron Man could have survived the events of
Avengers: Endgame and see Thanos lose.,Granted that there were other elements that factored into the decision of killing Iron Man in the MCU like Downey’s contract and future Marvel Studios storytelling; however, there were ways to wrap up his story without Stark’s  death. Similar to how Steve Rogers’ (Chris Evans) story wrapped up,
Tony Stark could have fully retired in Avengers: Endgame. While he tried and failed to do this before, the existence of Morgan (Lexi Rabe) could ultimately convince him to finally walk away from his superhero gig. In any case, he already did that in the five years after Thanos’ snap in
Avengers: Infinity War. So while Iron Man’s death is a poetic way to end his arc in the MCU considering how his superhero stint started,
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cheapens his sacrifice by revealing that his heroic wasn’t exactly that special.,More: Doctor Strange 2’s Post-Credits Scenes Explained (They’re Both Important)