UPDATE: New Infinity War set photos seem to confirm the theory that Tony Stark will get his arc reactor back.
Covering the Avengers being filmed in @Atlanta with @RobertDowneyJr @MarkRuffalo Benedict Cumberbatch @wongrel @AvengersInfinity. @AP pic.twitter.com/D5UxOUIe0j
— Mike Stewart (@MikestewartAP) June 26, 2017
The arc reactor can be seen under Robert Downey Jr’s jacket, but the real question is why? Well, the carnage behind them looks awful similar to the Battle of New York from Avengers.
Eagle-eyed redditors noticed the connection, and boy do they have a theory. We previously speculated that the Time Stone would come into play, and these redditors have a similar idea. Perhaps Doctor Strange will bring Tony and Bruce back in time to the Battle of New York in order to learn something, a missed detail that could help them defeat Thanos.
More in our original story below…
A set photo from Avengers: Infinity War was posted across Robert Downey Jr’s various social media accounts on Wednesday featuring himself, Doctor Strange/Benedict Cumberbatch, Hulk/Mark Ruffalo, and Wong/Benedict Wong sharing a meal that does not, somehow, appear to be shawarma. And it also possibly/maybe hints at something major for Tony in the upcoming film.
This is the first time we’ve seen the actors together and in costume (though it remains to be seen whether or not Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner will wear a simple T-shirt), and it appears the science vs. magic rivalry has not invaded their personal lives (yet). In fact, Tony Stark and Stephen Strange have a history of friendship in the comics, despite their radically different approaches to superhero-dom.
More interesting, however, are the details in the photo. Like the fact that Robert Downey Jr. has a particularly arc reactor-shaped hole in his shirt. Fans will remember that Tony Stark had the arc reactor surgically removed at the end of Iron Man 3, no longer needing it to keep him alive or power the suit, so what could prompt him to return to his cyborg-esque days?
Well, there are three real possibilities, ranging from highly plausible to a little more out there. The first is that Tony’s recent struggles in Civil War and the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming have brought back his heart problems. The man had shrapnel in his chest for Beyonder’s sake. No amount of Marvel science-magic is going to get rid of all those long-term effects. And with Tony’s feud with Steve Rogers—and his increasing worry about Peter Parker—it’s not difficult to imagine his health problems returning in a big way.
The second theory is that the Iron Man suit won’t be powerful enough to stop Thanos. Since the original Iron Man, Tony has traded his bulky, tank of a suit for a more sleek and agile design, losing firepower in favor of speed.
If Thanos is anywhere near as powerful as his comic counterpart, Iron Man won’t stand a chance. Adding the arc reactor might give Tony the added power he needs to at least hurt the Mad Titan.
Third, and maybe most fun, is that the Time Infinity Stone might play a role.
Doctor Strange’s Eye of Agamotto contains the Time Stone, which we’ve seen has the ability to turn back time for a given object. If Thanos or any of his minions were to obtain the stone (which will almost certainly happen) they would be able to return Tony to his chest-shrapnel state, forcing him to turn to the arc reactor as a life-saving measure once more.
Do you think the arc reactor will show up in Infinity War? How about the awesome facial hair bros? Let us know in the comments below!
Image: Robert Downey Jr., Marvel Studios, Marvel Comics
