Marvel and Robert Downey Jr. might have an upcoming conflict revolving around Iron Man. Previously, the Russo Brothers indicated they are not planning to bring Iron Man back from the dead, but RDJ might have other interests.
“I don’t know how they would do it,” Anthony Russo said. “I don’t know what the road to that would be.”
“I mean, we closed that book, so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it,” Joe Russo later added.
It took Marvel around a decade to perfect the Iron Man arc, a rare achievement in the superhero genre. With the multiverse already introduced in the MCU, they could bring some variant of Iron Man into the main timeline, possibly played by RDJ. However, that might not be the case.
Recent statements by RDJ suggest he is still interested in playing the role.
During a talk with Jodie Foster, RDJ said, “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. I’ve become surprisingly open-minded to the idea.”
“Between ‘Nyad’ and [‘Night Country’] and, for me, ‘Oppenheimer’ and then ‘Sympathizer,’ 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.’”
Now, how viable is this decision?
On paper, fans would go nuts if Marvel decided to bring Iron Man back for one last dance in Avengers 5 or Avengers 6. It would skyrocket the hype. However, Marvel might decide to move on from the past generation to the new generation, as they definitely need a new set of heroes.
Fans aren’t too hyped about Sam Wilson leading the team, so if Iron Man returned, the Avengers would not only have a better leader, but fans would also be more enthusiastic. Yet, keeping him dead would stay true to the storyline, and they shouldn’t tamper with Iron Man’s arc.