Robert Downey Jr. Confirms Whether He Could Play Iron Man Again (And Why)

Robert Downey Jr. hasn't done too shabby for himself since hanging up his Iron Man armor in "Avengers: Endgame," a character that defined his career for a decade. He won an Oscar for his role in 2023's "Oppenheimer," which was a bigger deal than you might think, and he's low-key made waves on "The Sympathizer" from director Park Chan-wook. However, he's not beyond returning to the Marvel well based on recent comments. 

For Variety, Downey spoke with Jodie Foster about their respective careers. Foster asked Downey if he'd ever come back as Tony Stark, to which he replied, "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. I've become surprisingly open-minded to the idea." 

As recently as December 2023, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige was surprisingly not open-minded to the idea, as he said Marvel wouldn't resurrect that major Avengers character. Naturally, attitudes can change over time, and after some notable flops, like box office bomb "The Marvels," perhaps the studio would want to bring back someone who could get audiences to turn out in theaters. Downey being game doesn't inherently mean Marvel's working on an Iron Man return, but it certainly makes things easier if that's a route the franchise wants to take. 

It makes sense Robert Downey Jr. would be interested in an Iron Man return. It was probably a very fun role to play, and he undoubtedly made a boatload of money from it. There's still the matter of whether bringing Tony Stark back is a good move from a story perspective. The character's death in "Avengers: Endgame" was a powerful moment, and bringing him back for the sake of fan service could come across as cheap. Then again, Hugh Jackman is back in his famous Marvel role in "Deadpool & Wolverine" after the mutant met a heartbreaking end in "Logan." So truly, nothing is sacred.

There has been ample speculation that an Iron Man comeback is imminent within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Rumors suggest Marvel wants to resurrect Iron Man and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) for a future Avengers movie, and with the Multiverse now at play, that could be feasible. It's possible they wouldn't be playing the versions from the Infinity Saga, but instead variants from other realities. It would basically be Marvel's way of having its cake and eating it too. These major stars appear in a milestone Avengers flick while keeping their characters' emotional deaths intact. 

Downey can pretty much do whatever he wants these days. From starring in Oscar-worthy fare to hosting his own reality show with "Downey's Dream Cars," the world is his oyster. If he wants to return as Tony Stark and Marvel has a part for him, there's really nothing stopping an MCU Iron Man comeback.