Robert Downey officially exited the Marvel Cinematic Universe after his iconic character’s demise in the 2019 Avengers: Endgame. However, that doesn’t kill fans’ hope to see one of the highest-grossing actors of all time return to the Multiverse again and don his armor as Iron Man. Though Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that Downey would never reprise his role again, the latter recently revealed the possibility of his return. And he didn’t just do it once. Downey admits to being “surprisingly open-minded” about returning to the MCU as Tony Stark / Iron Man.
In an interview with Jodie Foster for Variety’s Actors on Actors, the actress asked Downey if he ever considered suiting as Iron Man again. The actor was seen as Iron Man in 10 Marvel movies before sacrificing his life to save his fellow Avengers. His exit looked so perfect that Feige revealed he would never return to the franchise. But for Downey, being Iron Man is part of his DNA despite being more than cool than he is.
“It’s just crazily in my DNA. Probably the most like-me character I’ve ever played, even though he’s way cooler than I am,” he said. “I’ve become surprisingly open-minded to the idea.”
After being in the business for decades, Downey admits being surprised to see himself and Foster still looking good in their projects. Recently, Foster starred in the sports drama movie Nyad and the series True Detective: Night Country, while he did Oppenheimer and Sympathizer. So, while looking at their stills, he realized they still looked fine, and he might be able to return as Iron Man again.
“‘Do we still look kind of OK?’ I’m like, ‘We look pretty good,’” he continued.
How can Iron Man return to the MCU?
Fans saw the last of Iron Man in Endgame, the final chapter of the Infinity Saga. But as the MCU is now featuring the Multiverse Saga and the Marvel TV shows and movies delving into the alternate reality concepts, fans believe there’s a way for Downey to return to the MCU. The animated series What If…? has already shown multiple alternate versions of Tony Stark, though they’re voiced by Mick Wingert instead of RDJ.
With the several versions of Tony Stark / Iron Man from the comic books, Downey may have the chance to play one of them. Fans strongly suggest that he can take on the role of the infamous Earth-1610 ultimate version of Tony, which inspires his casting as Iron Man. If this happens, the actor can boost his portrayal of the beloved Marvel superhero.
Another version that he can play is Superior Iron Man, an evil Tony that Scarlet Witch created through her spell. This version of Iron Man has heroes and villains swapping moral compasses. With the character’s white and grey armor, not to mention a full-blown Iron Man villain, many can’t wait to see Downey take on this role.
With Downey expressing his interest in returning to the MCU, it may take no time before fans will see him as Iron Man again. However, with the Multiverse Saga happening, a different version of Iron Man may appear on the big or small screen.
