In arguably the most emotional moment in the MCU so far, Tony Stark gave his life to defeat Thanos and bring back everyone who was snapped out of existence after "The Blip" in Avengers: Endgame.
Robert Downey Jr. has indicated that he is done with the character in interviews, though he has also said "never say never" when quizzed about a potential return, and there are persistent rumors that an Iron Man Variant will play a part in the Multiverse Saga (most likely Avengers: Secret Wars).
The nature of the Multiverse means this would certainly be possible (whether Downey Jr. reprising the role would cheapen Stark's sacrifice is up for debate), but Marvel Studios VP of Production & Development Stephen Broussard appeared to confirm that RDJ will not be back during a recent interview with i09.
"Well, I think one of the meta-narratives of Phase Four was about new characters. It was about new people stepping into mantles. If you look at, like, Cassie [Lang in 'Quantumania'] getting a suit and Kate Bishop [in 'Hawkeye'], new characters being introduced like Jack in Werewolf by Night. After these first 10 years of Marvel storytelling, torches are being passed, like with Robert Downey Jr. no longer being [on the] table and stuff like that. So it was kind of like a new generation stepping to the forefront which, again, has always happened in the comics."
It's worth noting that Broussard wasn't addressing the rumor specifically, and his comments may simply refer to the fact that they no longer have full access to the character.
Plus, if Downey Jr. was being lined up for a future movie, it's not like he's going to admit it here anyway!
What do you guys think? Will Iron Man return in Phase 5? Should he? Drop us a comment down below.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.