In what will surely go down as one of the most emotional, iconic moments in comic book movie history, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) made the ultimate sacrifice during the climactic battle of Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame, giving his own life in order to defeat Thanos and ensure the survival of Earth's population.
Since then, rumors that Downey Jr. might be set to return to the MCU have persisted, and the actor definitely sounded open to the possibility during a recent interview with Esquire.
“Happily. It’s too integral a part of my DNA,” Downey told the mag when asked if he’d return to the MCU. “That role 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.”
If Downey Jr. was to reprise the role, it would most likely be as a Variant, but some fans still feel that this would cheapen the original Stark's death - and it sounds like the filmmakers who directed the scene in question would agree.
Joe and Anthony Russo were asked about the actor's comments during an interview with Total Film, and didn't sound particularly optimistic about reviving the hero.
“I don’t know how they would do it,” Anthony said. “I don’t know what the road to that would be [laughs].” Joe added, “I mean we closed that book so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it.”
It's worth noting that Kevin Feige appears to feel the same way about bringing Tony Stark back.
“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige told Vanity Fair last year. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
What do you think? Will we see Robert Downey Jr. back in the MCU as Tony Stark at some point? Do you think it's a smart move? Be sure to drop us a comment down below.
"Adrift in space with no food or water, Tony Stark sends a message to Pepper Potts as his oxygen supply starts to dwindle. Meanwhile, the remaining Avengers -- Thor, Black Widow, Captain America and Bruce Banner -- must figure out a way to bring back their vanquished allies for an epic showdown with Thanos -- the evil demigod who decimated the planet and the universe."