Robert Downey Jr. ‘Infinity War’ Set Interview May Reveal ‘Avengers 4’ Spoilers

Marvel Studios stars have been trying their best to keep quiet about what’s going to happen in Avengers 4, but the leaks have started to leak, despite their best intentions. Such may be the case with an interview Robert Downey Jr. did for the Avengers: Infinity War behind-the-scenes featurette, which may have unintentionally revealed several big plot details for Avengers 4:

The first detail that Marvel fans are jumping on is Downey’s look in the interview, presumably while still in character as Tony Stark during Avengers 4‘s production. His blonde hair and gray-haired beard may be our best indication yet that there’s a time jump between the end of Infinity War and the beginning of Avengers 4. Tony has presumably aged, and not so well. The blonde highlights would definitely be Tony’s response to his hair possibly graying – but the bigger question is: what, exactly, is stressing the Iron Man out?

His failure to stop Thanos and protect the world would definitely cause Tony to feel a little long in the tooth. There’s also another theory that’s been real popular: Tony could be on daddy duty! Infinity War tease that Tony and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) could be ready for parenthood, so it’s not out of the question; however, my own money would be placed on Tony being obsessed with bringing back those lost in The Snap, and/or finding Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet. That character arc would explain why we’ve been getting hints that Pepper Potts will armor up as Rescue in Avengers 4: if Tony is too obsessed with Doctor Strange’s “Endgame” plan, Pepper would have to step up and help fulfill the duty of protecting the world in the absence of the many other heroes Thanos annihilated.

The other detail is a little more flimsy, but still worth note: The backdrop for Downey’s interview is that of Wakanda – specifically Shuri’s lab. It could easily just be a staging ground for the actors to do press, meaning there’s no Avengers 4 connection to make. However, it could also be the case that Downey was filming a scene in that location on that day, which would definitely suggest a whole lot more – namely that Tony Stark goes to Wakanda and meets Shuri. Again, it’s a scenario that definitely fits an arc where Tony is obsessed with reversing The Snap: Shuri is the smartest person in the MCU, and she would have an equal obsession with trying to get back her brother, King T’Challa. Shuri and Tony teaming up would be the best chance the MCU heroes have to counter Thanos’ cosmic genocide.

Avengers: Infinity War is now available as a digital download and on Blu-ray and DVD. Ant-Man and the Wasp is now playing in theaters. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019; Avengers 4 on May 3, 2019; Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th, 2019; and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.