The MCU has shied away from Christmas over the last decade. Aside from James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special and the Disney+ series Hawkeye, the festive season has rarely featured on screen in the MCU. The previously mentioned projects are also recent examples. However, according to Guy Pearce, the first Marvel Christmas movie actually happened in Phase 2, we’ve all just forgotten about it. Pearce played Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3, a character who started out as a new ally to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), before revealing himself to be The Mandarin, attempting to create super-powered soldiers with the Extremis virus.
Speaking to Screen Rant to promote his new A24 movie, The Brutalist, Pearce reflected on starring in the first Christmas movie in the MCU, at least, according to him. The interviewer, Liam Crowley, asked, “Would you agree that Iron Man 3 is a Christmas movie?” The question got a laugh out of Pearce, who agreed, “Yeah, I could see that. Absolutely.”
The somewhat forgettable Iron Man 3 is far from a holiday classic, even for die-hard Marvel fans. However, the film features plenty of trademarks of a Christmas movie. The final fight between Tony Stark, Aldrich Killian, and his henchmen is set right around Christmas day. In another fight scene, Tony Stark even uses tree ornaments as weapons. Iron Man 3 appears to be one of those half-baked Christmas films, like Die Hard. It is only a Christmas movie because of its setting, but it can still be watched all-year round.
Robert Downey Jr. Is Returning to the MCU

Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian met his definitive end in Iron Man 3, being defeated by an Extremis version of Pepper Pots and exploding into ash. While death is never a guarantee in the MCU, Pearce hasn’t expressed any enthusiasm about coming back. But, his Iron Man 3 co-star, Robert Downey Jr. will be returning to the franchise, in a brand-new role.
After playing Tony Stark for over a decade, and sacrificing himself in Avengers: Endgame, Downey Jr. will be Marvel’s next major villain. The now Oscar-winning actor will play Victor Von Doom, a.k.a. Doctor Doom, in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. The nature of his return hasn’t been fully confirmed yet. It is unclear if the Avengers will recognize Doctor Doom for looking like Tony Stark, or if movie magic will get in the way and the team acts like he’s a brand-new character.

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Either way, the casting decision has divided the fan base. Some are ecstatic about the Oscar-winning actor returning to the MCU. Downey Jr. was undoubtedly the heart of the early MCU, before handing off the reins to newer characters. However, some are confused by the casting, and are frustrated that Marvel Studios chose an old-reliable choice, rather than a new actor. Cillian Murphy was the fan-casting-favorite for the majority of Marvel fans. But, being realistic, is Murphy ever actually going to do a Marvel movie?
Iron Man 3 is streaming on Disney+. Avengers: Doomsday releases in theaters in 2026.

Release Date

April 18, 2013

Runtime

130