One of the end results of the Oppenheimer Oscar dominance was that A-list juggernaut Robert Downey Jr. took home his first Academy Award. It was a noted occasion where a box-office champion received recognition for also being a celebrated character actor. Downey Jr. already had Marvel money. Now, with an Oscar in his corner, he theoretically should be able to do anything he wants, career wise. Which is why RDJ raised a few eyebrows when he said in a recent interview that he’d “happily” return to the MCU for a future project, even though Marvel killed off Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame. And two people shocked by the statement appear to be Endgame co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo.
In making his statement about a possible return to the MCU, Robert Downey Jr. admitted:
It’s too integral a part of my DNA. That role chose me. And look, I always say, Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige. It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.
He’s not wrong. However, Tony Stark’s sacrifice at the end of Avengers: Endgame was tragic, and earned. Doctor Strange told Iron Man that there was only one way that the heroes would triumph over Thanos, and Tony – usually a self-centered egomaniac – laid down his life for the greater good. It’s a hero’s journey.
Now that Downey has expressed a willingness to return to the role, and somehow resurrect his most famous character, the Russo Brothers are going on the record to express confusion. Speaking with GamesRadar, the siblings addressed the comments and stated:
Anthony Russo: I don’t know how they would do it. I don’t know what the road to that would be [laughs]. Joe Russo: I mean we closed that book so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it.
Are there ways for Marvel Studios to feasibly reopen that door? Of course. We’ve already seen, thanks to the existence of the Multiverse, several variant versions of classic characters. So, variant Iron Man characters could appear in an upcoming Marvel movie, and could even be played by Robert Downey Jr. the same way that Benedict Cumberbatch played alternate versions of Stephen Strange in Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
I have to agree with the Russos, however, in that there are three Marvel actors who should be off the board, completely: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson. They are MCU All-Stars. Hall of Famers who were there in the earliest stages, and gave their all to help the Infinity Saga soar. In different ways, they each sacrificed their characters at pivotal moments, and bringing them back – even as variants – would cheapen that loss.
If ever there was a movie that would include such a cameo, it seems to be Avengers: Secret Wars. In the comics, that storyline was a massive hero team up story, and rumors are that Secret Wars in the MCU will serve as a “soft reboot” for the universe. Bringing Robert Downey Jr. back for such an event could make sense, so maybe whoever directs that movie will solve how to reopen the book. Until that happens, it’s my hope that Marvel and RDJ leave Tony Stark in the past, and maybe rely on past heroes such as Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) to bridge the gap between the present and the future.
