The Marvel Cinematic Universe will be celebrating its 10th year with the release of Avengers: Infinity War but the film has also made Robert Downey Jr. fans very concerned about the fate of Tony Stark. After all, the promotional merchandise for the movie has been suggesting that this could be Tony’s final outing as Iron Man. But is it possible that Downey is currently in negotiations over yet another standalone film? Iron Man 4 could be one of the still-untitled projects in Marvel Studios’ roster.
Robert Downey Jr. has certainly been secretive about his future with MCU. Interestingly, Avengers: Infinity War co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo have suggested to The Hindustan Times that the Sherlock Holmes actor “can’t play the character forever” and Downey has “lots other things he wants to do in his career.” However, Joe Russo also insinuated that Iron Man 4 could still happen because Downey “loves playing [Tony Stark].”
Joe Russo pointed out that the role of Tony Stark is something that truly belongs to Robert Downey Jr. and that “the audience” will not be open to Iron Man being recast in the future. The Avengers: Infinity War co-director stated that Downey has not spoken about abandoning the role just yet but also suggested that he and his brother will be working with the Doctor Dolittle star soon.
“[Downey] loves playing the character, I know that, and we love working together. We will see where it goes from here.”
The statement certainly led to speculations that Robert Downey Jr. is still in talks with Marvel Studios about doing a few more movies. Some believe that the studio could at least narrow it down to a possible Iron Man 4 once Avengers: Infinity War proves to be a massive hit this April. Since early reviews and ticket sales have been promising, fans are hopeful that Avengers 4 will not be Downey’s final outing as Tony Stark.
There is no formal announcement yet about Iron Man 4 . Nevertheless, Robert Downey Jr. seems open to the option of playing Tony Stark while he is still capable of doing so. In the meantime, the billionaire is expected to play an important role both in Avengers: Infinity War and the still-untitled Avengers 4 .
Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on April 27.