It was pretty obvious to every superhero fan that Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man, until his sad demise, sat at the centre of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Who brought Ultron into existence? Yes, the billionaire philanthropist with the zippy one-liners. Who invented time travel in order to defeat Thanos? That guy who loved shawarma, weapons of mass destruction and casual sexism (at least in his early outings).
Since Tony Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has been crying out for a focal point. Doctor Strange looked like he might step up, but soon lost his position as sorcerer supreme to Wong and almost destroyed the entire universe while trying to help out Peter Parker. Thor still isn’t quite his old self after gaining a beer gut and attempting a journey of self-discovery, while Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel has been largely awol since Endgame.
