When Avengers: Endgame released back in 2019, it said goodbye to Robert Downey Jr.’s iconic portrayal of Iron Man. Depending on who you ask, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t really been the same since then. However, the actor says he’s completely open to the idea of returning to the MCU.
Speaking to Jodie Foster on Variety’s latest Actors on Actors show, Robert Downey Jr. was asked if he’d ever wear the Iron Man suit again. His response was quite enthusiastic. “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,” he said. “I’ve become surprisingly open-minded to the idea.”
Following Avengers: Endgame, Downey Jr. revealed that he’d be stepping away from comic book movies to focus on his career as an actor in different projects. His latest role playing Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic Oppenheimer scored him an Academy Award, though it seems like he’s missing playing Tony Stark aka Iron Man – a role which not only resuscitated his career pre-MCU but also defined it.
After a rough few years of big hits like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Loki and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 along with several critical and commercial failures, Marvel Studios is taking a step back and re-evaluating the state of the current MCU. This brings some big changes including the reduced output of Marvel projects every year and a complete rebrand of its TV shows so that they won’t be required viewing to enjoy the movies.
As it stands, the only MCU movie set to release this year is Deadpool and Wolverine, which is already gaining plenty of positive buzz online thanks to its clever marketing. It might also be the shot in the arm that the MCU needs right now to bring the cinematic universe back on track and in the good graces of audiences again.
Source: Variety
