'Avengers: Infinity War' Director Addresses Possibility of Robert Downey Jr. Leaving

Could Avengers: Infinity War be the end of Robert Downey Jr.'s now iconic run as Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Marvel fans are expecting some fatalities on the Avengers side of the battle against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Robert Downey Jr. has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe longer than any of his co-stars, so what does that mean for his future?

Avengers: Infinity War director Joe Russo, who worked with Downey previously on Captain America: Civil War, made it clear in a conversation with The Hindu Times that no one can replace Downey as Iron Man.

"There is nobody who can take over Iron Man from Robert," Russo said. "I don't think the audience would accept that. He never mentioned to us about leaving Iron Man, but it will happen at some point of time.

"He can't play the character forever," Russo continued. "I am sure there are lots other things he wants to do in his career. But he loves playing the character, I know that, and we love working together. We will see where it goes from here."

That Downey hasn't discussed his exit with the Russos seems to suggest that Avengers: Infinity War, or its sequel, won't be his exit after all. Then again, Russo may just be completely lying to deflect from possible spoilers for the film. There's a middle ground though, with Downey's Tony Stark taking a significantly smaller role in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, perhaps continuing to mentor young Spider-Man but not being so active as an Avenger himself.

Downey has previously stated that he's thought about his exit from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but wants to make sure he leaves the shared universe in the best possible shape.

"It's like with a team if you're going to hang up your jersey, you want to make sure the team is in good shape and they can still compete at a high level," Downey told ABC News, "because ultimately that's what made the whole thing worth doing anyways."

Avengers: Infinity War releases on April 27th. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.