While the legacy of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) still looms large over the MCU, don’t expect him to return in any way anytime soon. Spider-Man: No Way Home writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers say that bringing Tony Stark/Iron Man back to the MCU is a “non-starter” over at Marvel Studios.

Tony Stark played a significant role in the development of Spider-Man (Tom Holland) in the MCU. He first recruited Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War and later became a mentor figure in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Tony was then deeply impacted by Peter being one of the dusted Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War before being able to save him in Avengers: Endgame.

After Tony’s death in Endgame, Peter dealt with the impact of the loss in Spider-Man: Far From Home while also trying to find his own place in the world as a hero without his mentorship. One of the issues some have with the MCU’s Spider-Man is that he may be too attached to Iron Man, constantly living in his shadow and trying to be Iron Man Jr. After the events of No Way Home, it would appear that Peter has finally come into his own and has discovered what it means to be a true hero.

Spider-Man Has Finally Moved on From Being Tony Stark's Pupil

In a recent interview with The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith, McKenna and Sommers discussed how they wanted to move away from Tony Stark after the events from Far From Home. According to the two screenwriters, Marvel doesn’t really like constantly going down the “Tony well” and wants to move forward.

“I think honestly that's a non-starter in the halls of Marvel, at least in our experience. They just don't really like constantly evoking [Iron Man]. I mean, obviously, Tony cast such a large shadow even after Endgame — which we dealt with in Far From Home — but I think everyone felt like we can't just keep on going to the Tony well.”

At the end of No Way Home, Peter made a massive sacrifice by allowing Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to wipe Peter Parker from the memories of everyone in the world, even MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batolon). While Peter himself will carry on the legacies of those who are gone, which now includes Aunt May, Spider-Man in the universe will no longer be attached to Tony Stark as the billionaire’s protégé.

The door for Tony to return does remain open, especially now with the introduction of the multiverse. In fact, rumors are swirling that Tony may make an appearance in Doctor Strange in the Mulitiverse of Madness. However, this could actually be a variant of Tony Stark played by Tom Cruise, who was initially considered for the role before Jon Favreau convinced Kevin Feige to go with Downey Jr. Still, it doesn’t seem like Downey Jr. will be returning to the role anytime soon, even if variants of Tony continue to appear.