Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Iron Man in 2008 kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe that we know and love today. His portrayal in his first solo outing was adored by the fans so much that it expanded into a multibillionaire franchise.
The Dolittle actor reprised his iconic role in 10 Marvel movies, and his popularity skyrocketed so much that he became the face of the franchise. His tenure in the franchise came to an end with his gripping performance in 2019’s Avenger: Endgame, where he sacrificed his life to stop Thanos.
Sadly, after the Sherlock Holmes actor’s exit from the MCU, its popularity has been severely affected and executives are speculated to be planning to bring back Robert Downey Jr. in the franchise. But the question remained- how? The question has been answered by Kevin Feige as he has confirmed whether the character will return or not.
Kevin Feige Accidentally Revealed Robert Downey Jr.’s Return To MCU
Recently, Vanity Fair conducted a cover story on Robert Downey Jr. in which they talked to Kevin Feige, The President of Marvel Studios, about the much-anticipated return of the actor as Iron Man. He shared that they are not going to revive Tony Stark, as it was a magical moment and took many years to achieve, which they do not want to undo in any manner.
“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again. We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
Feige’s comments have put up the speculation that Robert Downey Jr. will return as Tony Stark/ Iron in the MCU, but not the one who died in Avengers: Endgame. Instead, he might return as another variant like Superior Iron Man or possibly return through time travel that would ensure his return without affecting his special moment from the 2019 film.
Robert Downey Jr. Refrained From Adding Dialogues After His Iconic Line In Avengers: Endgame
While the fact that Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/ Iron Man might be reintroduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Phase 4 and Phase 5 showcase multiversal travel, allows another version of the character to return without too many complicated explanations.
However, in the same interview with Vanity Fair, Joe Russo shared that the Oppenheimer actor was reluctant to do reshoots or additional scenes after his final words “I am Iron Man” had been immortalized, and how everyone got emotional before he did that scene.
“We’d already said tearful goodbyes on the last day of shooting. Everybody had moved on emotionally. We promised him it would be the last time we made him do it—ever.”
The fact that the actor would return to the franchise is a great idea as Marvel is struggling to meet its past success after big names such as Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson have parted ways with the franchise. Moreover, the new films have been criticized a lot as well. However, with two new Avengers films to come, the possibility of these actors returning is high as the Phase finale is often a collaboration of the biggest names in the MCU.
Avengers: Secret Wars is scheduled to release on 7 May 2027.
