When Will Robert Downey Jr Reprise His Iron Man Role?
Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man character was killed off in 2019 movie Avengers: Endgame, but the actor hasn't given up hope of playing him again.
Following recent comments made by the Academy Award winner, who has played Iron Man/Tony Stark in multiple movies, there has been plenty of speculation on UK betting sites about when, rather than if, Downey Jr. could be heading back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
When asked if he would ever return to the MCU, he told Esquire magazine: "Happily. 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."
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While Downey Jr. doesn't bet against Feige, the MCU boss appeared to bet against Downey Jr. in comments he made in December.
At the time, Feige insisted there were no plans to "magically undo" the character's death to pave the way for further Marvel movie appearances.
Asked by America's Vanity Fair magazine if Downey Jr. could return to the role, Feige said: "We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again.
"We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way."
It came after Marvel Studios Vice President of Production and Development Stephen Broussard also dropped a strong hint in February 2023 that Downey Jr. wouldn't be a part of the MCU's Phase Five.
He told io9: "I think one of the meta-narratives of Phase Four was about new characters.
"It was about new people stepping into mantles. 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."
Marvel's Phase Five films are from 2023 to mid-2025 - including The Marvels, which dropped in November - but could a Phase Six return now be a possibility for Downey Jr.?
RDJ To Suit Up For Phase 6?
The MCU's Phase Six movies include Avengers 5, which is slated for a May 2026 release, and Avengers: Secret Wars, which is scheduled to drop a year later in May 2027 and could see the original Avengers return.
Should Downey Jr. make a shock Marvel comeback then it looks likely to be in an Avengers film, but that would run the risk of cheapening Avengers: Endgame, when Iron Man sacrificed himself to defeat Thanos.
He is just Evens on specials betting sites to reprise his role as Iron Man/ Stark in 2026, when Avengers 5 is due to drop, while it is 2/1 that he doesn't return to the MCU until 2027.
Iron Man super-fans will be flying about life in delight upon hearing Downey Jr.'s recent comments, but it's 4/1 they might have to wait until 2028 or later to see him suit up again on the big screen.
'I WAS Iron Man'
Tony Stark supporters would love nothing more than to hear Downey Jr. proclaim "I am Iron Man" once again in a movie, but it is also quite possible, following Feige's recent comments, that the character never returns to the MCU.
It's 6/1 on betting apps that Downey Jr. doesn't reprise his role, and it appears to be even more unlikely that a shock comeback would happen this year (10/1), or in 2025 (8/1).
If the actor was to agree terms with Marvel about a comeback then there is every chance he would hash out a deal to make a blockbuster comeback in his own standalone movie.
Downey Jr. has portrayed the character in Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3, which was released in 2013, and it is just 4/1 that the Oppenheimer star reprises his role in a fourth Iron Man motion picture.
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Avengers 5 Looks Most Likely
With upcoming MCU Phase Five movies Deadpool & Wolverine and Captain America: Brave New World already in post-production, it looks incredibly unlikely (10/1) that Downey Jr. would make an Iron Man return there, and the same goes for The Fantastic Four (9/1), which is in pre-production.
What's more, Downey Jr. doesn't look likely to pop up in Thunderbolts, which is currently filming.
It's 8/1 on new betting sites that Iron Man rocks up in the movie, but it looks far more likely that his return could come in Avengers 5 (Evens) or Avengers: Secret Wars (2/1).
