Robert Downey Jr. first played Tony Stark in 2008's Iron Man. He later reprised the role in two sequels, four Avengers movies, Captain America: Civil War, and even Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The actor ultimately bid an emotional farewell to the character in Avengers: Endgame when Iron Man made a heroic sacrifice to save the universe from Thanos. Downey, who has won an Oscar for his role in Oppenheimer since leaving the MCU, has fully closed the door on playing Tony again.
Instead, he'll suit up as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
While Iron Man is behind Downey, he'll reprise his role as the Armored Avenger away from the MCU for Disneyland's "Stark Flight Lab" attraction. Talking about that at SXSW this past weekend, he reflected on what this character has come to mean to him.
"17 years I've been associated with an iconic superhero, but you know, it's the message he represents that I'm grateful for," he told those in attendance. "Tony [Stark] opened my eyes wider to the power technology has to impact the world for good, and that's something I'll carry with me for the rest of my days."
We've repeatedly heard that Downey is playing Victor Von Doom, not an Iron Man Variant in the next Avengers movies. While a few actors have played more than one character in the MCU, it's hard to shake the feeling there will be a connection between Doom and Stark.
Doing the rounds to promote Netflix's The Electric State, filmmaker Anthony Russo revealed how Downey is approaching the role. "He's writing backstory, costume ideas," the director teased, "he just really loves rich three-dimensional characters, and I think he sees a real opportunity here."
There's a lot of scepticism surrounding Downey's MCU return as the Fantastic Four villain. However, if the rumour mill is to be believed, he could make his debut as soon as this summer's The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released in May 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive in May 2027.