It’s been a few years since we last saw Robert Downey Jr. play the arrogant yet lovable superhero Iron Man. In Avengers: Endgame RDJ was seen snapping his fingers to save the world from Thanos. Tony Stark was resilient in his quest, even if that meant he would be meeting his demise. For him, bigger things were at stake than his own life.
Since 2019, fans have been wondering if Robert Downey Jr. will ever return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially with the whole multiverse and variant thing going on in the superhero universe. While the possibility seems extremely low, a new scoop ignites hope in the fans’ hearts as it states that Robert Downey Jr. will once again be the face of the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.
Is Robert Downey Jr. Back in the MCU?
A Twitter-based scooper who goes by the username @MyTimeToShineH recently tweeted, “RDJ is back baby” and added that Robert Downey Jr. will be returning to the MCU once again. Talking about the supposed project where the actor is said to return, the scoop mentions that he will be reprising his role as Iron Man in Avengers: Secret Wars “for sure.” Adding to it, the user also mentioned that there are discussions going on about Downey showing up in Armor Wars.
While Armor Wars, starring Don Cheadle as James Rhodes aka War Machine, was originally a Disney+ series, the project has been expanded into a full-length film. This makes the movie Cheadle’s first solo film in the MCU. Thanks to this, RDJ’s rumored return is coming off a bit bittersweet as some fans believe that him coming back as Iron Man in Armor Wars will take the spotlight away from Cheadle’s War Machine.
Fans aren’t wrong about this one. The audience which would’ve gone to watch the film to see Cheadle front and center will certainly be looking more forward to RDJ’s cameo, instead. Not only will this sideline the actual main character but it also has a huge chance of ruining War Machine’s storyline.
While some have their own theories about the possible reprisal, including the question of whether Downey will come back as AI or a variant, others believe that MCU is simply trying to save itself from a downfall. Fans stated that Downey’s character had a heroic and fitting send-off and bringing him back will only make things complicated.
I'd prefer if they waited til Secret Wars to bring him back in any capacity. Let Rhodey be the focus of Armor Wars even the slightest RDJ cameo would cause convos about the film to shift to him
— Vijay Williams (@WilliamsTroop) December 28, 2022
When will rhodey get his time to shine, hello?
— Chea (@itsmehiimdaprob) December 28, 2022
Really hope this doesn’t actually happen. Hate when a character dies a meaningful death just to return not that long of a time later.
— Jack Portfolion Stan (@Ian__Nelson) December 28, 2022
I wonder if it's a flashback or AI or alternate universe version.
— Anthony Beck (@Anthony_Beck33) December 28, 2022
AI style for Armour Wars is my guess…. Variant in secret wars is my second guess
— ReviewsbyMackDaddy (@CODFuckery) December 28, 2022
Whether Downey is returning or not has neither been confirmed nor denied officially. However, the Twitter scooper has been fairly accurate in the past and it might not be a far reach to say that they could be right, again.
Does Robert Downey Jr. Want to Return?
Back in 2020, Downey appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience where he and podcast host, Joe Rogan discussed the possibility of the actor returning once again to the MCU. When Rogan asked him if he would consider putting on the Iron Man suit once again, Downey replied that he was done with the character.
“To me, starting up again is off the table. I feel like I’ve done all I could with that character.”
However, he also added that if, sometime in the future, there was a “super compelling argument and as series of events that made it obvious” he would think about reprising his role. Did the Armor Wars and Avengers: Secret Wars teams end up succeeding in coming up with such a plot? If so, we cannot wait to see what happens next!
As of now, nothing is known about Armor Wars’ release date whereas Avengers: Secret Wars is set to release on May 01, 2026.
Source: Twitter
