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'Iron Man 4' release date, plot news: Riri Williams replaces Tony Stark as 'Iron Man'

Kristinova V. Justimbaste September 05, 2016 01:15 AM EST

Robert Downey Jr. at the European premiere of \"Captain America, Civil War\" at a shopping centre in east London, Britain April 26, 2016. | REUTERS/Toby Melville

All kinds of speculations have surrounded Marvel's new standalone "Iron Man" film. Filming has not even begun but recent reports suggested that the titular character will be replaced in the sequel.

Previously, reports said that Robert Downey Jr., who portrays the billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark aka Iron Man, will be replaced by a 15-year-old female lead. The rumors started when the actor tweeted a photo of "Invincible Iron Man," showing Riri Williams as the latest version of Iron Man. The actor captioned it with, "Get ready for a new generation of Marvel BAMF..."

Although it was apparent that RDJ's post was from the comic book "Invincible Iron Man," many seemed to believe that it was part of the concept art for the forthcoming film.

Furthermore, sources suggested that the fourth film could feature Tony Stark passing the torch to Riri Williams.

In the comic book, William is an intelligent teenager who got a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she started to develop her own prototype of the Iron Man suit. When campus security was about to confront her for stealing equipment, the heroine had no choice but to use her prototype. Stark heard of her mad skills and helped Williams become a superhero.

Fans think it is possible that the passing of the torch will be similar to what happened in the "Ant-Man" movie. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) served as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man's (Paul Rudd) advisor in the film. Fans are expecting Stark to do the same for Williams in "Iron Man 4."

Marvel has been making efforts to create racially diverse female versions of its well-loved superheroes. The rumored upcoming version of Iron Man will not be the first female version of a Marvel protagonist.

"Iron Man 4" is expected to premiere in 2020.

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