Mad Men star John Slattery first played Howard Stark in Iron Man 2. Dominic Cooper would later play a younger version of the S.H.I.E.L.D. founder in Captain America: The First Avenger, but Slattery was then given the opportunity to reprise the role for flashbacks in Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War.
Perhaps his most impactful appearance, however, came in Avengers: Endgame. Travelling back in time alongside Steve Rogers, Tony Stark got to reunite with the father he would later lose at the hands of the Winter Soldier.
An argument could be made that the 2019 movie was a good place for us to bid farewell to Howard, but as such an instrumental part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we'd be shocked if he doesn't appear again (his image, for example, was seen as recently as in Spider-Man: No Way Home on the wall of Peter Parker's high school).
Talking to us about his role in Confess, Fletch, Slattery looked back on his time in the MCU and confirmed he hopes to return should the opportunity present itself.
"I had such a good time and every one was different. You know, it's not strictly improvisational, but a lot of it is written on the day. I'm sure you've heard stories of what that's like and it's really exciting to work with the Russo Brothers and Downey...it was a blast."
"So yeah, would I go back? In a minute," the actor confirms in the video above. "I'm glad...those movies have had such an impact. They're really fun to do."
Looking to the future of the MCU, it's hard to say where Howard could fit into that. However, with the Multiverse now at play, it would be quite easy for a villainous Variant of Tony's father to make his presence felt and cause all manner of chaos (how could would it be to see him suit up?).
We'll have to wait and see, but for now, you can see Slattery reunite with Mad Men's Jon Hamm in Confess, Fletch. The long-awaited reboot of the popular movies starring Chevy Chase, this fresh take arrives in theatres, On Digital, and On Demand on September 16, 2022.