Robert Downey Jr. first played Tony Stark in 2008's Iron Man, putting a spin on the superhero which elevated him from the B-List and made the Armoured Avenger the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The actor bid farewell to the role with 2019's Avengers: Endgame and has since set his sights on more serious fare; that includes a role in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, a project which earned Downey a "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar.
Rumours continue to swirl that we'll see the Academy Award winner return as a villainous Iron Man Variant in Avengers: Secret Wars and Downey now tells Esquire that he hasn't closed the door on playing Tony again.
"Happily. It’s too integral a part of my DNA," Downey said of a possible return. "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."
Feige has said that the Iron Man who died in Avengers: Endgame won't return be seen again because Marvel Studios is "going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again." He'd add, "We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way."
That doesn't rule out a Multiversal Variant, though, does it?
Elsewhere in this cover story, Pepper Potts actress Gwyneth Paltrow reflected on her and Downey's unique MCU collaborations.
"There would be this process of [director] Jon Favreau and Robert and I going into Jon’s trailer in the morning and Robert being like, 'I’m not f*cking saying these lines' and throwing them out," she remembered. "And then live improv-ing either in the trailer or on the set."
"I think in order for something to feel alive for Robert, it has to feel fresh, and he makes it fresh by making it feel like it was just invented. So many of those famous lines were written ten minutes before we said them."
Paltrow has also said she's be willing to play Pepper again, albeit not without Downey by her side. "Oh my god, stop yelling at me" she joked last September. "We just stopped doing it because Iron Man died. And, why do you need Pepper Potts without Iron Man? I don’t know. Call up Marvel and yell at them, not me. I’m just sitting here."
What role would you like to see Iron Man play in the Multiverse Saga? Let us know in the comments section.