Robert Downey Jr. is making his long-awaited return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a little over a month but, this time, he won’t be playing Tony Stark (a.k.a. Iron Man). The Oscar-winning actor will, instead, play the villainous Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. Joe and Anthony Russo’s superhero team-up flick will mark Downey’s first MCU outing in over seven years (and, boy, did that time fly). That aside, though, I was surprised to find that the star could’ve reappeared in the sprawling franchise a bit sooner.
Marvel Studios has been slowing down on MCU content for the small screen but, all the while, VisionQuest made a strong impression amid the 2026 TV schedule. The Terry Matalas-created show works on its own, but it also features more than a few nods to the larger franchise. Believe it or not, Matalas recently revealed on The Brandon Davis Show that he initially aimed to have Downey return as Tony Stark for a scene. The EP went on to explain what the scene would’ve entailed and why it didn’t happen:
Things cost money, and we’re on a television show budget. I would love nothing more to have had — there was a moment where I wanted to hear Stark calling [Mary McDonnell’s Katerina Wells], and say, ‘You know, your time is up on this code.’ And it’s the old Tony. It was the Tony before the Jericho missiles, and he’s like, ‘Sell me the code so I can turn it into my thing.’ But it would’ve been a big ask to get Downey to come in and do it.
Although I enjoyed VisionQuest (as many critics did as well), I would’ve appreciated the scene Matalas described (on X). The show reveals that Tony isn’t the actual creator of the A.I. technology responsible for birthing J.A.R.V.I.S., E.D.I.T.H. and co from the majority of Markridge Biotech’s co-founders. It’s an intriguing reveal and one that adds a little wrinkle to MCU lore. It sounds like even Matalas would’ve relished the moment as well, but he also brought up a fair point:
In retrospect, I actually would have tried, ‘cause having met [Downey] now, he’s wonderful. But, also, it might have taken away from what that story was. But Tony Stark did very much create J.A.R.V.I.S. [and] F.R.I.D.A.Y. and made that code.
The shadow of the highly quotable Tony Stark still looms large over the MCU, though, in more than a few ways. Not only are his A.I. creations still roaming the Earth (and interwebs), but his protégé, Peter Parker, is also carrying on his work in some ways. And, while Stark may not have mentored Riri Williams, she’s followed in his metal footsteps by becoming Ironheart. Overall, I can imagine that many will continue to hold Tony’s memory close, especially during the ordeal that’ll likely unfold in Marvel’s latest 2026 movie schedule entry.
Fans are anxiously waiting for Doctor Doom to come to blows with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and their allies in Doomsday and, all the while, there’s the lingering question of whether this version of the iconic villain will have a link to Stark. The creative team has been downplaying any kind of multiversal connection between the two characters for a while now. Aside from that, though, Downey was more than game to trade in one mask for another. He even admitted that in some respects, he preferred playing Doom over Stark.
The jury is still out regarding whether we’ll ever see Robert Downey Jr. reprise Tony but, at the very least, fans can look forward to seeing him play Doom when Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18. Also, while Terry Matalas’ Stark idea didn’t pan out for VisionQuest, the show is still more than worth a watch and can be streamed in its entirety now with a Disney+ subscription.
