Marvel Studios Considering "Reviving" Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been without two of its cornerstones for a couple of years now. Avengers: Endgame (2019) claimed the lives of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) en route to resurrecting the dusted away half of the universe. While Johansson made one final full film appearance in the 2021 prequel Black Widow, Downey has been completely detached from Marvel Studios since Tony Stark said "I love you 3000" for the final time. Both Stark and Natasha Romanoff's demises in Endgame had a feeling of permanence to them, but with the MCU diving deep into all things multiverse right now, there has always been the lingering thought that Iron Man and Black Widow variants could show face down the line.

Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson Returning to MCU?

Is Marvel Studios getting the gang back together?

According to a report from Variety, Marvel Studios has been discussing the idea of bringing "the original gang" back for a future Avengers movie, which would involve "reviving Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow." This could mean reviving their characters in a metaphorical sense, a la bringing the actors back to play variants, or in a literal sense, where both Earth-616 Tony Stark who snapped is brought back to life and Earth-616 Natasha Romanoff who sacrificed herself for the soul stone is resurrected. 

It's unclear as to if Chris Evans's Captain America is included in this "original gang" pitch but its worth noting that his Steve Rogers would not necessarily need to be revived, as he is technically still alive at the end of Avengers: Endgame, just aged up significantly.

One holdup in this idea comes with costs. Both Downey and Johansson come with a hefty price tag, as each actor was earning significant eight figures for their later MCU performances. RDJ specifically pulled in around $25 million in upfront salary for Iron Man 3 (2013) alone. That film came over a decade ago and long before the MCU became the billion-dollar guarantee at the box office.

Scarlett Johansson's Confirmed Marvel Future

While it is uncertain as to if Downey and Johansson will return on screen, Johansson does have more Marvel work in her future. Speaking to ComicBook.com this past June, Johansson confirmed that her previously-announced Marvel Studios producing project is still in the works.

"It is still happening. Yes," Johansson said. "It is still happening, [but] not currently because nothing is happening right now. We're all sort of in this holding pattern as we wait out the writers' strike and potentially our own guild strike, and so on and so forth."

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on Downey and Johansson's MCU futures.