Marvel Studios
Iron Man could come back to the MCU: Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t close the door on his return
Robert Downey Jr. surprised fans by revealing that he’d love to come back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Robert Downey Jr. is in a very good moment in his career after having won his first Oscar for his supporting role in Oppenheimer (2023), the biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father” of the atomic bomb. However, although Iron Man has already died in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor hasn’t completely closed the door, hinting about a possible return to Marvel.
Robert Downey Jr. is willing to return to Marvel after his first Oscar with ‘Oppenheimer’
In a recent interview with Esquire, Robert Downey Jr. confessed that he would be “happily” return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When asked whether he’d ever return to the MCU, he said “It’s too integral a part of my DNA. That role (Tony Stark/Iron Man)chose me.”
“And look, I always say, Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige. It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win,” he continued. Although it is a brief statement and the actor didn’t give many more details, you have to take his words seriously, as after the opening of the multiverse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, basically anything is possible.
Iron Man died at the end of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019), sacrificing himself using his own version of the Infinity Gauntlet to evaporate both the evil Thanos and his army. Nevertheless, he could return to the MCU without problems as one of the infinite variants of Tony Stark from any other universe, a concept introduced in ‘Loki’ from Disney+.
Robert Downey Jr.: the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Since starring in ‘Iron Man’ in 2008, Robert Downey Jr. has been the main face of the MCU. Not only was he the protagonist of the first film in this interconnected universe, but as it has advanced, he has emerged as its most important figure. On this side of the cameras, Downey Jr. has always been the highest-paid actor in the Marvel productions in which he has participated —including the lesser ones—, with an estimated total revenue of 400 million dollars.
Nevertheless,although these blockbusters have been released in dribs and drabs since 2008, they have not been big favorites for the Oscars. The only Marvel films to win Oscars have been ‘Black Panther’ and its sequel. Now that Robert Downey Jr. has his own Oscar, only time will tell if his hypothetical return to Marvel will cause any production in which he participates to also be considered worthy of an award.
Kevin Feige could take advantage of the renewed prestige of Robert Downey Jr. to gain legitimacy for the upcoming Oscars while breathing life back into the MCU. Something that the franchise especially needs considering recent flops like ‘The Marvels’ (2023).