Is Marvel Studios quietly working on a fourth Iron Man movie with Robert Downey Jr.?
On this week's episode of The Hot Mic, Jeff Sneider said he believes the studio is "secretly" developing Iron Man 4, and he speculates that this could be the project that Prey and Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg is attached to
. There was some scuttlebutt that Trachtenberg might have been enlisted to helm a new Wolverine movie featuring whichever actor steps into the role after Hugh Jackman.
Tony Stark was killed off in Avengers: Endgame, but RDJ will return as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, and several sources, including Sneider, are confident that the Academy Award winner will be back as the Armored Avenger in Secret Wars.
Doom is one thing, but if Downey does step back into his most iconic role, many feel that it will tarnish the character's powerful send-off. Sure, plenty of characters have been killed off in superhero movies only to be resurrected in some form or fashion, but Stark's was the one we've repeatedly been told would stick.
Nothing has been confirmed, of course, but based on everything we've heard, we would be surprised if RDJ didn't don the armor again at some point.
As for potential Iron Man 4 storylines, there is some online chatter about Armor Wars.
You can be sure that nobody knows anything about this project -- if it even is a project -- yet, but Armor Wars, which also features Doctor Doom along with the likes of the Crimson Dynamo, Controller, Mauler, Professor Power, Titanium Man, and the Raiders, is something fans have been hoping to see adapted for many years.
What do you make of this rumor? Would you like to see RDJ return for Iron Man 4? Let us know in the comments.
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars were hit with significant delays last year, with Doomsday now set to arrive in theaters on December 18, 2026, and Secret Wars positioned for December 17, 2027.
Both movies will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Universes collide and the Multiverse Saga begins its final chapter in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday. Beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and ultimately face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered. This epic film will lay the foundation for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
Doomsday will star:
Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Lewis Pullman as Sentry, Florence Pugh as Yelena, Danny Ramirez as Falcon, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Sebastian Stan as Bucky, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, James Marsden as Cyclops, Channing Tatum as Gambit, and Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent
Along with Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Letitia Wright as Black Panther, Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, and, of course, Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.