Summary

Robert Downey Jr. is surprisingly ppen to the idea of suiting up again as Iron Man.
Downey Jr. kick-started the MCU with the first
Iron Man
outing back in 2008, with the beloved character dying in 2019’s
Avengers: Endgame
.
Rumors persist that Downey Jr. will return as Iron Man in 2027’s
Avengers: Secret Wars
.

Academy Award winner and Marvel star Robert Downey Jr. has offered a surprising response to a possible return to the MCU as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Speaking with fellow actor Jodie Foster as part of Variety’s ‘Actors on Actors,’ Downey Jr. Says that, despite pushing back against the prospect in the past, he is now “surprisingly open-minded to the idea” of once again suiting up as the Avenger.

“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. Between “Nyad” and [“Night Country”] and, for me, “Oppenheimer” and then “Sympathizer,” it really is crazy because we look pretty good. I was actually looking at the stills we were taking, making sure: “Do we still look kind of OK?” I’m like, “We look pretty good.”

Downey Jr. kick-started the MCU with the first Iron Man outing back in 2008, with the role reigniting his career following a series of personal struggles. The actor went on to become the face of the blockbuster franchise for years, with Tony Stark sacrificing himself in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Since then, the actor has starred in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, for which he won his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

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Downey Jr.’s thoughts on starring as Iron Man for so long have ebbed and flowed between positive and negative over the last few years, with the actor saying earlier this year that the delight if playing Tony Stark eventually “wore off.” Around the same time, he thanked director Christopher Nolan for resurrecting his “dwindling credibility” by casting him in Oppenheimer.

“When I was 15, I wanted to be Peter O’Toole. When I was 25, I worked for Richard Attenbourgh and Anthony Hopkins. When I was 35, I finally understood why Dickie thought Tony would be a better role model for me than Peter. “When I was 42, I did two films for Guy Ritchie and learned how to make big Hollywood movies with a civil British flare. I then played a guy named Tony in the MCU for about 12 years. And then recently, that dude Chris Nolan suggested I attempt an understated approach as a last-ditch effort to perhaps resurrect my dwindling credibility. So I share this with my fellow nominees, this has been an exceptional year.”

Robert Downey Jr. Has Slowly Become More Open to the Idea of a Return to the Iron Man Role

More recently, however, Downey Jr. has grown more upbeat about a return to the MCU, with the actor again referring to the role as part of his DNA and heaping praise on Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige. Downey Jr. previously told Esquire…

“Happily. It’s too integral a part of my DNA. That role chose me. And look, I always say, ‘Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige.’ It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.”

At present, there are no plans to bring Downey Jr. back as Iron Man, with Feige himself having said it will never happen. However, with the multiversal madness due to reach its climax in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, who knows what Marvel magic might happen…

Robert Downey Jr. can currently be seen playing multiple roles in the black comedy
The Sympathizer
, which is available to stream on Max.