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Death is rarely permanent in comic books, and the same has proven to be more or less true for comic book movies. Just because a character has died does not mean that we've seen the last of them. Even if the actor that originally played the role has no interest in returning, we can still see their character return. But in the case of one Aldrich Killian, that won't be an issue. As Guy Pearce, who played the character in Iron Man 3, says he'd love to come back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While Guy Pearce is the first to admit he's not sure how such a return would happen since his character was clearly killed at the end of Iron Man 3, the actor tells ScreenRant that if given the chance he would absolutely reprise his role. Namely because he had such a great time making the third Iron Man film. According to Pearce,
I would certainly consider reprising it if they were interested in doing so. It was fantastic. It was great. I love playing that character. I loved working with Robert, of course, and Shane, our director, and Gwyneth who is adorable. I had a really, really great time. Who knows how we could do that?
Based on this statement, the biggest hurdle to Guy Pearce returning might be the fact his collaborators from Iron Man 3 wouldn't be involved. At this point, it seems clear that both Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow have moved on from the MCU. We certainly could see Shane Black direct another entry in this particular cinematic universe, but I get the feeling if Black wanted to return, and Marvel wanted him back, that would have happened by now.
Guy Pearce's time in the MCU is available on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
The bigger question might simply be whether MCU fans would like to see this. Guy Pearce's character became one of the more controversial decisions made in this universe, when Iron Man's popular villain The Mandarin, traditionally an Asian mystic character with magic rings of alien origin, was replaced by an actor pretending to play that part. What's more, Pearce's Killian was revealed to be the power behind the throne. Fans of classic Iron Man were largely unimpressed by this decision, even if it did make for one of the better twists in the MCU to date.
There's no indication Guy Pearce was called in to bring back Killian in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which is set to debut the "real" Mandarin. The upcoming blockbuster could therefore connect to Iron Man 3, and Killian could seemingly return in that way. But that doesn't mean such a reprisal is actually happening. Although given enough time in the MCU, basically anything is possible.
