A year ago Avengers: Endgame finally premiered in theaters and brought The Infinity Saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a close, which was punctuated by the death of the hero that started it all, Robert Downey Jr.‘s Iron Man. RDJ seemingly closed the book on his time in the MCU after this film, they even held a funeral for his character, but could he ever be lured back to the series at some point? Speaking with co-director Joe Russo during this week’s Quarantine Watch Party, the pair seemed to hint toward a willingness to work together in the Marvel universe once again.
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“I would say it feels like you go to summer camp and then they yank it away from you,” Russo said about working on the films and then releasing them into the world. “Because we do have a lot of fun working on these things together. Everyone has a lot of fun, you get real close to reach other and then you miss it. Maybe we’ll have to do it again some day.”
Robert Downey Jr. added, “The people, they will move us toward what they want.”
The Russos recently addressed this possibility as well, with Joe’s brother and co-director Anthony wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a return but said that in order for it to happen it has to be in service of the story that Marvel Studios is telling.
“Certainly we’ve always said this and we believe this about stakes have to be real, and if they’re not real, like the audience’s emotional investment in the moment and in those characters in the narrative is only…is contingent upon them feeling like there’s potential, there’s something to be lost,” Russo said on the Reel Blend podcast. “I think it would be in the context of that. It depends on how he was brought back. It depends on the storytelling, but it is certainly something that has to be earned. It’s certainly something that would shock and surprise audiences, so you can’t simply just bring him back. There would have to be a really compelling, innovative, unpredictable narrative event to find your way there in order for it to be worth it.”
Despite Russo’s reluctance to simply have Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark just return for a movie, rumors persist that the character will seemingly appear in the upcoming Black Widow movie at some point. It’s thought that this wasn’t a newly shot scene of the Oscar nominee as the character but previously shot footage from one of the earlier films in the MCU.
Do you want to see Robert Downey Jr. return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with directors Anthony and Joe Russo? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!
