Being an integral part of the MCU following his beloved role as Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. left fans grieving after he quit Marvel’s superhero genre to explore other opportunities. Bidding adieu to the franchise with Avengers: Endgame in 2019, Downey Jr. was never seen in any further Marvel projects.
However, there was one particular Marvel television series that Robert Downey Jr. wanted to be a part of. Despite knowing his character’s fate in MCU, the actor had previously expressed his desire to appear in Joss Whedon’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Although Downey Jr’s appearance in the show could have impacted the MCU in a major way, he eventually didn’t make an appearance.
Robert Downey Jr. Wanted to Appear in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Robert Downey Jr. has indeed been a significant part of MCU which ended up leaving an unfillable hole after his exit following Avengers: Endgame in 2019. However, despite his character’s detrimental fate in the movie, the actor had previously expressed his desire to reprise his role for a Marvel television series. Even if it was for a brief cameo, Downey Jr. wanted to be a part of the show.
Well, it’s none other than Joss Whedon’s 2013 show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Being one of Marvel Studios’ initial attempts at expanding their universe into the world of television, the storyline showcased S.H.I.E.L.D. members who investigated strange events around the world. The 2013 series even had a few characters from the MCU like – Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson, and Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury making guest appearances.
Much like that, even Robert Downey Jr. wanted to explore the possibility of his appearance in the show. Although it was ahead of his exit from the MCU, the actor was aware of his character’s fate. And despite knowing, he wanted to explore the opportunity to be in a Marvel show. Even Kevin Feige believed it was somewhat possible for a few Marvel comics superheroes to make an appearance.
Kevin Feige Teased the Possibility of MCU Heroes’ Appearances
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly back in 2013, Kevin Feige addressed the possibility of witnessing some of the heroes from Marvel comics pop up in the show. Without disclosing the names of the characters who might appear, Feige simply teased the possibility of Robert Downey Jr’s appearance, following the actor’s desire to appear in a cameo.
“If that works the way everyone expects it to work I think that would open up another avenue, another outlet for some of those characters. Maybe they guest star, I don’t know. I think they’re avoiding the cameo of the week on that show, which is very smart.”
However, eventually, despite Robert Downey Jr’s desire to appear in the show, he felt that his cameo might require a bit of work to make the behind-the-scenes happen. During a Reddit AMA, the actor therefore addressed the reason why he eventually decided to drop his dream.
“Nothing is impossible. But there might be a fair amount of red tape involved in something like that. I love Clark Gregg, and am pleased the show is doing so well.”
Nonetheless, although Robert Downey Jr. dropped the possibility of his appearance in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., fans couldn’t give up on the dream.
Robert Downey Jr’s Appearance Might Have Impacted the MCU
Thinking of all the possibilities that would have come up even with Robert Downey Jr’s minor cameo, fans began exploring the unfulfilled dream. Initially designed to coincide with the MCU, the Marvel flagship featured explicit tie-in episodes to Marvel Studios’ early blockbusters, like Iron Man. That’s where Downey Jr. could have fit in.
Exploring the possibilities, it is believed that Robert Downey Jr’s appearance in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would have turned the show into a canon for MCU. Although following Marvel’s split in 2015, the ties became thematic, it is believed that with Iron Man’s appearance, setting up connections with MCU would have become easier.
Following Clark Gregg’s appearance as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson in the show, who was murdered by Loki in MCU’s The Avengers, his resurrection storyline was an arc spun out of Extremis experiments uncovered in Iron Man 3. According to CBR, Coulson was resurrected with Project T.A.H.I.T.I., which could have placed the event precisely in the MCU timeline, starring Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man.
This way, Robert Downey Jr’s cameo in the show would have offered a chance to bring back Iron Man, just like the resurrection of Phil Coulson. Since the show would have had a direct connection with MCU timeline by becoming a canon, it would have made things different.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is available on Disney+
