Robert Downey Jr. On Iron Man MCU Return: “Surprisingly Open-Minded” to It

Robert Downey Jr. is “surprisingly open-minded” to returning as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Oscar-winning actor said so himself during an interview with fellow Oscar-winner Jodie Foster, as part of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” segment. 

When Foster asked Downey “Would you think of putting the suit back on again for Tony Stark?” Downey gave an answer that a lot of MCU fans have been waiting years to hear: 

“It’s just crazily in my DNA. Probably the most like-me character I’ve ever played, even though he’s way cooler than I am,” Downey said. “I’ve become surprisingly open-minded to the idea… It really is crazy because we look pretty good. I was actually looking at the stills we were taking, making sure: “Do we still look kind of OK?” I’m like, ‘We look pretty good.’”

Robert Downey Jr. made his epic exit from the MCU in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame, the culminating chapter of the “Infinity Saga.” However, ever since the MCU storyline shifted into the “Multiverse Saga” and all its alternate reality concepts of Marvel TV shows and movies, fans have been buzzing with hope that a window for RDJ’s return to the MCU is opening. 

Downey has been turning that buzz into an uproar, lately; back in April, he indicated in an interview that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige might have gotten in his ear with an idea of how Tony Stark is coming back to the MCU:  “I always say: Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige. It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.”

How Iron Man Could Return to the MCU

As stated, the MCU Multiverse Saga has created all kinds of opportunities for Tony and Iron Man to make a comeback. Marvel’s What If…? animated series has already shown us multiple alternate versions of Tony Stark, with voice actor Mick Wingert taking over for RDJ. 

Marvel fans have several versions of Tony and/or Iron Man from the comics they’ve expressed interest in seeing Downey play: There’s the infamous Earth-1610 “Ulitmate Universe” version of Tony (arguably the version that inspired RDJ’s casting as Iron Man), which would be a chance for Downey to really amp up his performance. 

The other popular fan-pick is “Superior Iron Man,” the evil version of Tony created by one of Scarlet Witch’s spells, that had heroes and villains swap moral compasses. Evil Tony’s Apple-style white and grey armor aesthetics, and his full-tilt bend into villainy, have made MCU eager to see Downey take a swing at a Superior Iron Man run. 

With Jonathan Majors’ Kang now out of the picture, the MCU does need a new villain (or villains) for this Multiverse Saga. that could be the biggest reason for Feige and co. to call on Robert Downey Jr. right about now. 

Source: Variety