Tony Stark ’s Iron Man identity was both a approval and a expletive throughout the Infinity Saga , and theMCU Phase 4is doubling down on   the same theme with superhero titles such asCaptain America , Spider - Man , Scarlet Witch , and more . One of the first major change the MCU made to its depiction of superheroes was the idea of secret identities .   Robert Downey Jr. ’s Tony Stark , being the font of the enfranchisement , revealed that he was the mankind inside the armored suit at the end ofIron human beings . Since then , most MCU heroes have been undecided about the real citizenry under the costume , to the period that the Avengers   have become some sort of general celebrities , which   brings them as many disadvantage as vantage .

The MCU underlined the motif of identity operator with the plot ofCaptain America : Civil War , where theSokovia Accordscompelled superheroes   to unwrap their material identicalness and stay under total   surveillance   to   save the world under the police . This event directly led to the Avengers '   breakup , and though the triumph of the Avengers over Thanos   inAvengers : Endgamegave them a small piece of leeway , the   ripples still remain throughout Phase 4 .

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WandaVisionandThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierdeal with the immediate aftermath of the Infinity Saga , but they also   continue   the MCU ’s long - running motif of identity that has been hiding in every pic since Tony Stark revealed he was Iron Man .   Now , it   appear future   installments will explorethe MCU ’s theme of superhero outcastswho struggle with who they are . Here ’s how   this concept   affiliation   Phase 4   together .

Tony Stark Couldn’t Separate Himself From Being Iron Man

Despite   Tony Stark ’s   nonchalant determination to   reveal himself to the world ,   his Lunaria annua brought him   more trouble than it was probably deserving . The plot ofIron Man 2started with the U.S. government demand   Stark deal over his technology — a fail attempt that is bind to   pop up again in Phase 4’sArmor Wars , where James " Rhodey " Rhodes may struggle to defend his protagonist ’s legacy from multiple emulator . After   Tony Stark understood that he was destined to sacrifice himself to protect the man inThe Avengers , he lose almost everything he had inIron Man 3 , and all   due to his   unfitness to cope with the responsibility of being Iron Man . Tony Starkdecided   to ditch his bow reactor and discard all of his Iron Man armors in   a prominent mode , but his superhero identity came   back even stronger .

ByAvengers : Age of Ultron , Stark was back in the   Iron Man suit and ready to create another unsafe invention : Ultron . While his heart was in the right place , building"a suit of armour around the world"caused such a massive amount of topsy-turvyness that its black issue set up the main conflict ofCaptain America : Civil War . Stark did n’t fare much beneficial inCivil WarandAvengers : Infinity War ,   as he was brutally overcome bySteve Rogersin the former and   receive with the weight of universal frustration in the latter . Tony Stark   could have abandon his   Iron Man   identicalness for good right afterward , but   since he knew he was designate to die with it ,   he sacrifice his idealistic life sentence as Tony Stark to die as Iron Man inAvengers : Endgame .

Identity In WandaVision

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Wanda ’s predicament had   even worse consequences for theresidents of Westview , who had their minds   forced to   take a back seat and   their bodies transformed into literal screen background characters . It was only until Vision or Wanda chose to snap them   liberal of their genial chains   that they could beg for exemption . Those neighbors at the border   of Westview had it worse , who might have been witting enough to suffer every minute of their   badgering and actualize that they were n’t even authoritative to Wanda ’s show . as luck would have it for everybody involved , Wanda ended up freeing them , but they were never shown to be compensate for having their   free will rip aside from them .

WandaVisionconcludes with the essence   characters   learning about who they really are . Vision face off against his former body , who   yearns for purpose after being born-again .   This is perhaps the most patent manifestation of the MCU ’s paper of identity   so far ,   especially when Vision employ the " Theseus Ship " remember experiment to defeatWhite Vision ,   which marks   the first metre an idea   set up an end to a   superhero battle . Wanda finally becomes the fabled Scarlet Witch , but refuses to   watch Agatha Harkness ’s prophecies , stating very clearly:“I do n’t postulate you to state me who I am . “Although almost every fibre inWandaVisionwent through a skillful trade of existential revulsion , the serial   manage to   show how some of the most tragic MCU heroes   could excogitate their own path despite the context .

A collage image of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope

Identity In Falcon & Winter Soldier

Immediately   afterWandaVision , The Falcon and the Winter Soldierexplores   the same theme from a different linear perspective . Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes question who Captain America was and how his legacy should be preserved , with the U.S. political science   taking a strong   stance in favor of loyal propaganda and the appointed wielder of the shield , John Walker , swan he will become the adept Captain America he can be . Most importantly , Sam Wilson   struggles with his want to respect Steve Rogers ' ideals , but at the same sentence   begins to translate   that he will never be the   person Steve Rogers was , nor does he need to be .

On Bucky ’s side ,   his   fell Winter Soldier persona   continue to frequent   him despite his best movement to live it in the past .   Bucky prides himself in his White Wolf part , given to him by the Wakandans , and even demands regard for his " Bucky " moniker . Unfortunately , Bucky   may yet have a snatch of the Winter Soldier assassinburied deep inside his soul , and he also possesses abstruse insecurities that cause him to think that if Steve Rogers was wrong in judging Sam ’s willingness to deport the shell , then he was also wrong in judging Bucky to be worthy .

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Josh Hartnett looking shocked in Fight or Flight

The inner battle of characters like Isaiah Bradley , Sharon Carter , and Baron Zemo also revolve around the theme of personal identity .   For instance , Sharon   Carter is draw to live a secret spirit in Madripoor , Zemo becomes Sam and Bucky ’s friend but refuses to drop his personal blood feud , and Isaiah Bradley suffers the pain in the ass of being unashamedly overwork and   shake off   to oblivion by the very masses he fought for . Bradley ’s story also affects Sam Wilson , whose   position of larger-than-life figures start to pause   when he realizes that the   government   kept   aBlack Captain Americaas a arcanum from the public for decades . At the same time , Sam interrogate the   necessity   of putting the Good Book " grim " before the   title of a superhero and face the world ’s habit of seeing him as a sidekick . John Walker is set to forsake his original   philosophy altogether , as the pridefulness of being the official Captain America jeopardise to subvert his relatively good nature with his internal ego and aggression .

How Identity Can Continue To Affect Phase 4

The MCU piss no denotative mention of   identity being the independent theme of   Phase 4 , but almost all of Marvel ’s upcoming live - action projection seem to be powerfully related to it . A crucial part of the premise ofSpider - Man : No Way Homeis   Peter Parker ’s multitudinous problems after his private individuality is   revealed to the creation   by   J. Jonah Jameson at the goal ofSpider - Man : Far From Home .   This is further aggravated   by the potential   appearance of alternating versions of   himself . likewise , Loki will deal with dissimilar timeline where   other version of himself   affect the world in different ways , and also with the fact that   thisLoki is supposedly   a " variant,“which means he   may not even be the main ( i.e. real ) Loki . Thor , on the other bridge player , will witness Jane Foster take his magnate and his malleus ,   which may   finally   win over him that he will never be the Asgardian king he in the first place want to be for hundreds of age .

Many of the type who will make their debut in Phase 4 also face identity struggles one manner or the other .   For instance , Ms. Marvel may do her best to   survive up to her graven image , Captain Marvel ; She - Hulk   will be imprecate with the same alter self-importance as   her cousin Bruce Banner ; Kate Bishop andEchowill adopt Hawkeye ’s two contrasting identity operator , and Riri Williams will be faced with the hard   labor of becoming   the next Iron Man . The most   observable manifestation of the theme of identity in   Phase 4 , however , isSecret Invasion , where the Skrulls ' ability to shapeshift will put into question who is the   material person   and who is the trespasser - all on a large scale .

With no newAvengersmovies planned so far , theMCU ’s Phase 4will link the multiverse together   with a solid thematic   melodic line that has been present since the very first movie in the franchise . As Tony Stark ’s   MCU journeying led him to bosom his Iron Man identity , the MCU will continue to search   this composition through multiple characters and   different perspectives , which makes   theMCU ’s riddance   of secret identitiesall the more useful . And in a solemn case of   reality following fiction , the MCU will also   face the issue   of releasingBlack Panther 2with the absence of the unreplaceable   Chadwick Boseman , whose performance as King T’Challa can never be replicated .

Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, and Steve Rogers in Captain America Civil War

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Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man 1 & 3 and Avengers Endgame

Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch in WandaVision Episode 1 and Episode 9

Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson with Cap’s Shield in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier

Spider-Man No Way Home, Loki, Thor Love and Thunder, and Secret Invasion in MCU Phase 4

Iron Man