One Dead Avenger Could Return Sooner Than Marvel Fans Think

The Avengers teamed up for the first time at the movies in 2012, with Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) making it their mission to protect the world from threats of all shapes and sizes. By 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," though, their time as a unit ended with the defeat of Thanos (Josh Brolin). Some go on to retire, others keep up the superhero game, and some die, making it seem that their time in the spotlight is well and truly over.

However, a new rumor on X (formerly known as Twitter) claims that a deceased Avenger is due to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe sooner rather than later. According to entertainment insider @MyTimeToShineH, who responded to an inquiry from another user, Downey will supposedly come back to the forefront of the franchise in a few years. His take on Iron Man, which propelled the MCU in its early stages and contributed greatly to its big and small-screen domination, famously sacrificed himself in "Avengers: Endgame," using the Infinity Stones to wipe out Thanos and his army.

Naturally, the question to ask is, how is an Iron Man comeback possible? If this rumor is proven true, it will likely do so in an upcoming MCU project that's tailor-made for such a return.

So far, it has been announced that two new "Avengers" movies are on the way. First up is "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," which will more than likely focus on the titular multiversal villain — portrayed by Jonathan Majors — and a group of heroes' attempt to stop him. The second is "Avengers: Secret Wars," where moviegoers are likely to see heroes and villains from across the MCU multiverse to duke it out and battle an unknown threat. After all, this is what the comic storyline of the same name gave viewers so many years ago.

Thus, "Secret Wars" has the potential to bring in a version of Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man as multiversal conflict rages on. At the same time, per "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" co-author Joanna Robinson, Marvel Studios mastermind Kevin Feige has hinted that the film will mark the end of a big screen era. "We have a quote from Kevin Feige sort of implying that, like, 'Secret Wars' will serve as a soft reboot in which they can prune everything...[They'll] prune everything that's not working and just keep what is [working], or bring back people you thought were gone forever," she said during an appearance on "The Watch."

If the MCU as we know it is destined for a mild reboot via "Avengers: Secret Wars," who better to bring back for one last ride than the hero who started it all?