Image: Marvel
Tony Stark is dead, and unlike in the comics, Riri has never interacted with him or even acknowledged his existence. Even though we see Riri pounding away at metal to shape her suit, mirroring Stark in the first Iron Man movie, a passing of the repulsor baton would not only be appropriate, it would also connect the show to its comic book roots. In the comic, Riri is mentored by a Tony Stark AI program. While Riri will likely have a holographic AI companion based on her deceased best friend, played by Lyric Ross, there are some problems only Stark can solve.
It would be cool if Riri were faced with a seemingly impossible obstacle with one of her suits, a situation that could lead to Gwyneth Paltrow returning to the MCU as Penny Potts, bringing with her the answer. It’s not far-fetched to think Stark has terabytes of instructional videos about how to not only build and maintain those Iron Man armors but also bring some of his wildest ideas to life. Remember, he left a lifelike holographic message to be played after his death in Avengers: Endgame—a proper tearjerker of a scene. Stark wouldn’t be back in the flesh, but he would help usher in his successor while reminding us of the Tony Stark we once knew. You know, before Doctor Doom changes all of that in Avengers: Doomsday.