By: Scott Johnson on January 21, 2013
In an interview with MTV, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige talks about Iron Man 3 and the future for Tony Stark. While much of what Feige reveals just confirms previous rumors from the Iron Man 3 set, he does make a rather interesting comment on the future of Tony Stark after Iron Man 3, which should be reassuring to fans.
Even thought it’s been said several times that Iron Man 3 will be a solo movie, Feige confirms that the events of The Avengers will play heavily into the movie. Tony Stark will in essence be suffering from post-traumatic stress, and he will retreat into his workshop to work on advanced versions of his suit. As already seen in the Iron Man 3 trailer, the individual pieces of the new versions of the suit can latch onto Tony Stark anytime and anywhere.
In a way, Tony Stark realizes he needs to be in the suit all the time, but he suffers a devastating attack by the Mandarin, which puts Tony Stark on a new path. Feige said, “Much of the movie is Tony in the middle of the country without his tools and a fairly broken suit to help him. But that’s his superpower: he wasn’t born on Asgard, he wasn’t hit by gamma rays, and he doesn’t have the super soldier serum. His power is his brain. It’s fun to put Tony Stark in a corner with nothing and see how he can get out of it.”
This description by Kevin Feige fits with what Comicbook.com observed while Iron Man 3 was shooting in North Carolina this summer. There were extensive scenes filmed in the town of Rose Hill, North Carolina on a set made up to look like it took place in Tennessee. The middle of the country that Kevin Feige refers to is likely those scenes set in Tennessee.
Echoing some things we hear about Robert Downey Jr.’s performance from those involved in the production in North Carolina, Feige said, “Robert Downey Jr. gave his all to this performance. He left no stone unturned.” Iron Man 3 will reportedly really put Tony Stark through the ringer.
The most revealing thing that Kevin Feige tells MTV is about the future of Tony Stark. There has been lots of speculation on fan sites and message boards that Iron Man 3 will be Robert Downy Jr.’s last time playing Tony Stark. However, the rumors we’ve heard is that Disney/Marvel Studios is actively trying to bring Robert Downy Jr. back for multiple movies.
Feige said, “Where we go directly after Iron Man 3 … I’m not looking too far ahead. I’m looking to finish Iron Man 3, getting into Avengers 2, and then seeing where we go from there. But I do think we have more Tony Stark tales to tell, and we’ll take it one movie — or maybe two movies — at a time.” Feige’s comment certainly seems to lay to rest rumors that Tony Stark might be retiring as Iron Man, and it suggests that they are looking to bring Robert Downy Jr. back for at least two more movies.
Iron Man 3 is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 3, 2013.
