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Marvel boss Kevin Feige has stated that Marvel has no plans to resurrect Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man character, who died in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. In Hollywood, and with Marvel superhero movies specifically with their multiverses, anything is possible. But Feige won’t bring back Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, as has been rumored as being a possibility.
“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige told Vanity Fair. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
Variety reported that Marvel was considering trying to get Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson to come back to play Iron Man and Black Widow again, with the suggestion being that the entire team would assemble again, including Chris Evans as Captain America.
Feige responded to the report, saying, “I’ve literally not even seen that; is that a new rumor?” Johansson, meanwhile, said it would take a miracle for it to happen. Evans, for his part, said he was unaware of those rumors but would consider coming back under the right circumstances.
For now, the next Marvel movie fans have to look forward to is Deadpool 3, which is the only Marvel movie scheduled for 2024.
Also in the interview, Feige discussed the original casting of Downey Jr. as Iron Man. As has been widely publicized, Downey Jr. was not always a lock to play Iron Man. In fact, Feige and Iron Man director Jon Favreau had to lobby on behalf of the actor in part because of his previous legal issues. In 1999, Downey Jr. was arrested for possession of cocaine, heroin, and a .357-caliber Magnum handgun. He skipped multiple drug tests and eventually served 15 months in prison. Not long afer getting out, he was arrested again on additional drug possession charges.
Feige said the Marvel board was “nervous” about betting on an actor who “famously had those legal troubles.” Feige said he ultimately convinced the Marvel board to hire Downey Jr. as Iron Man after having the actor come in for a screen test. Downey Jr. would go on to become a fixture of the Marvel movie universe, helping the company make billions of dollars.
Downey Jr.’s last big role was Lewis Strauss in the Christopher Nolan movie Oppenheimer.
