Who Harley Keener is
Harley is a bright kid who teaches himself engineering in his garage. When we meet him, he is being bullied at school, and his father has walked out on the family. He is the last person anyone expects to be useful to the world's most famous inventor.
Then Tony Stark crash-lands in his town. In Iron Man 3, an attack destroys Tony's home, and his damaged suit carries him to rural Tennessee, where he was already chasing a lead on a mysterious explosion. With no power, no team and no plan, Tony breaks into Harley's garage. That is where their odd partnership begins.
Where Harley appears
- Iron Man 3 (2013): his first appearance and his real story.
- Avengers: Endgame (2019): a brief return, now a teenager.
That is the full list. Harley has no series, no solo film and no other cameos in the cast credits, so these two films are everything you need.
A small-town friendship at the right moment
What makes Harley work is that he never treats Tony like a hero. He talks back, asks blunt questions and is not the least bit starstruck. Tony, still shaken by the Battle of New York, has been sleeping badly and suffering anxiety attacks. Harley's innocent questions about New York trigger one of them, and the film uses that scene to show how much Tony is struggling.
Their scenes are funny because both of them are stubborn, and touching because each fills a gap for the other. Tony gets a sounding board who reminds him he is a mechanic first, someone who builds his way out of trouble. Harley gets an adult who takes his brain seriously. By the end of the film, Tony makes sure the kid is looked after in his own very Tony Stark way.
His return in Avengers: Endgame is a single wordless appearance near the end. It is easy to miss if you do not recognize him, and that is why seeing Iron Man 3 first matters.
Harley, Tony and Rhodey
Harley's story revolves around Tony Stark, and he is one of the first signs that Tony could be a mentor, years before Peter Parker. James Rhodes is Tony's oldest friend and spends Iron Man 3 in the Iron Patriot armor hunting for answers on his own. The two never really share a storyline, but both belong to the small circle of people who knew Tony beyond the armor.
Ty Simpkins in the role
Ty Simpkins was a child when he played Harley, and he holds his own against Robert Downey Jr. with a deadpan, unimpressed energy that keeps their scenes from turning sweet. He returned to the part as a teenager for Endgame. Horror fans know him as Dalton, the boy at the center of Insidious, and he played Gray, the younger brother, in Jurassic World. He also appeared as a young missionary in The Whale.
What to watch and in which order
Watch Iron Man 3 first. It is marked recommended, and it is the only film that actually tells Harley's story. Endgame is essential for the whole MCU, not for Harley specifically, but his brief return pays off nicely if Iron Man 3 is fresh in your mind. For more of Tony's circle, browse our full character guide.