'In my DNA': Robert Downey Jr says he would consider Iron Man return
Robert Downey Jr is “surprisingly open-minded” to a return as Iron Man.
The 59-year-old actor played the superhero for more than a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and would consider a comeback as the character because the role is in his “DNA”.
In conversation with Jodie Foster for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Downey said about putting on Iron Man’s suit again: “It’s just crazily in my DNA.”
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“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,” he said.
Downey first brought the billionaire playboy industrialist-turned-superhero Tony Stark to life in 2008 in the first Iron Man movie.
He continued in that role across 10 films that formed the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) until his heroic exit (read: his character’s death) in the 2019 blockbuster Avengers: Endgame.
It is not the first time that Downey has discussed coming back as Tony Stark as he revealed earlier this year that he would “happily” play the role again.
Speaking to Esquire magazine in April, the actor said the role was “too integral a part of my DNA”.
“That role chose me. And look, I always say, never, ever bet against Kevin Feige (Marvel Studios President). It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.”
Unfortunately for Downey, despite his vocal love and appreciation for the character — and despite Marvel’s knack for resurrecting characters who meet their maker — Feige said the actor’s Iron Man chapter is closed forever.
Feige told Vanity Fair in December 2023 that the studio would “never” undo Iron Man’s death “in any way”.
“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” he said when asked about Downey possibly reprising the role.
“We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo have also said they cannot envisage a return for Iron Man after the character’s death in their blockbuster.
Speaking to GamesRadar at the Sands International Film Festival recently, Anthony said: “I don’t know how they would do it. I don’t know what the road to that would be.”
Joe added: “I mean, we closed that book, so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it.”
- with AAP
