Robert Downey Jr. Wants To Leave The MCU In Top Condition

07/05/2017 11:44 am EDT

Robert Downey Jr. may be considering his exit from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that doesn't mean he's going to leave his Avengers teammates high and dry.

In considering how many appearances as Iron Man he thinks he has in them, Downey says he wants to make sure he's leaving the shared universe he helped birth in a strong position to succeed without him.

"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 tells ABC News, "because ultimately that's what made the whole thing worth doing anyways."

Downey is making his seventh appearance as Tony Stark in Spider-Man: Homecoming and will make his eighth appearance in Avengers: Infinity War in 2019. It is assumed that he will return for the fourth Avengers movie in 2019. His future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after that remains uncertain.

Spider-Man: Homecoming currently has a 4.14 out of 5 ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating, making it the fifth most anticipated upcoming comic book movie among ComicBook.com readers. Let us know how excited you are about Spider-Man: Homecoming by giving the movie your own personal ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating below.

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, young Peter Parker returns home to live with his Aunt May. Under the watchful eye of mentor Tony Stark, Parker starts to embrace his newfound identity as Spider-Man. He also tries to return to his normal daily routine -- distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just a friendly neighborhood superhero. Peter must soon put his powers to the test when the evil Vulture emerges to threaten everything that he holds dear.

Spider-Man: Homecoming will be the first Spider-Man movie produced jointly by Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures since both studios reached an agreement to work together on the character's films. Holland debuted in the role of Spider-Man inCaptain America: Civil War, where he was recruited by Tony Stark onto Team Iron Man to take on Team Captain America.

Filming for Spider-Man: Homecoming began in June 2016 at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Georgia. There were also on location shoots in an Atlanta high school, a hotel, and Atlanta's West End. Some filming did take place in New York City, where the film wrapped production in October 2016.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is directed by Jon Watts, from a screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, Watts and Christopher Ford, and Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Spider-Man: Homecoming stars Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Donald Glover, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tyne Daly, Marisa Tomei, and Robert Downey Jr.

Spider-Man: Homecoming opens in theaters on July 7, 2017.

MORE SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING NEWS: Spider-Man: Homecoming Featurette Spotlights The Vulture / Flash Thompson Is A Different Kind Of Bully In Spider-Man: Homecoming / Jon Watts Reveals How Marvel Keeps Track Of Continuity / Spider-Man: Homecoming Star Brought The Clone Saga To Its Red Carpet

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