'Iron Man 4' release date news: Tony Stark rumored to be replaced by Riri Williams

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While the film is unconfirmed, rumors on the next "Iron Man" sequel still continue, and the latest one says the movie will have a female lead.

According to Vine Report, a lot of reports say that the next "Iron Man" movie will see a major change, despite the fact that Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark produced three successful movies thus far. This change is possibly linked to the recent events in the comic books. After all, it has been announced that Riri Williams, a 15-year-old woman of color will now have Stark's iconic red suit.

Fans can remember that this girl first appeared in the seventh "Invincible Iron Man" comics by Mike Deodato, and Williams is described as a genius who was able to reverse-engineer her own suit. This is even made more impressive by the fact that she was able to do so just within her dorm room's confines in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This character was brought to life by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Stefano Caselli.

In an interview with Time Magazine, Bendis said that Riri was created using the story of a young woman who was involved in a random street violence that could have killed her as an inspiration. This woman was able to surpass her limitations and was able to get to college, saying that she was the most modern version of a superhero story he has ever heard. Bendis added that this degree of violence could inspire a young hero to act and use her natural-born abilities and scientific acumen is exciting for him.

Supporting this, Ecumenical News suggests that Downey Jr. might have plans of retiring after this project as well as the conclusion of the "Avengers" movie series. Regardless, fans should just wait for official confirmation to see if the rumors gain authenticity.