Robert Downey Jr. Will Return As Iron Man Only If Paired With A Specific Character?

Robert Downey Jr. is up to return to the Marvel universe if he shares the screen with this character.

By Faith McKay | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

robert downey iron man

If you could see Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man again, what would you most want to see? There are a lot of ways it could happen, of course. Tony Stark could return as an AI. Iron Man could be part of the Multiverse. He could be in a project that takes place further back in the timeline. He could show up in the new Disney+ show, Ironheart, or in Spider-Man: No Way Home with every other Marvel character that has ever existed. If any of the million speculations happen, with all that Iron Man has already done in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what is there left to see? What do we really need? One idea reportedly brought up by Robert Downey Jr. is an interaction with Deadpool. Some good, quality, Tony Stark banter against the Merc With a Mouth. 

According to insider Daniel Richtman, Robert Downey Jr. told Disney that if he were to return, what the fans would want is to see Tony Stark interacting with Deadpool. Of course, if that were to happen, it would be a long way off still. We currently have no release date for Deadpool 3. Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel, said the movie is in the drafting stages. They don’t have filming scheduled yet. That suggests 2023 is the soonest we’ll see Ryan Reynolds playing Deadpool, which would mean we’re a ways off from the possibility of him bantering with Robert Downey Jr. 

In every interview Robert Downey Jr. has done since Endgame, he’s been asked about returning as Tony Stark. He says no. Never. Not gonna happen. And then! To the great shock of Marvel fans everywhere, he did an interview with GQ. He said, “I have alighted, for now. Real world to save. But never say never.” 

deadpool 3

Oh, Robert Downey Jr., how you tease us so. So, with what he said to GQ, and this latest rumor about his statements to Disney, what are we left to think? Did he mean it when he said, “never say never”? Was it a moment of weakness? Is he softening on us? Desperate to get back in the suit and have a chat with Deadpool? Is he just a kindhearted man wanting to please Marvel fans who will never be satiated? 

“Never say never” sounds more like he is suggesting that anything could happen than actually saying he is interested in stepping back into the Iron Man suit. The same insider with this news has reported that Robert Downey Jr. is interested in returning for other projects previously, so this news about the Deadpool statements are to be taken with a grain of salt. Still, the idea of Tony Stark and Deadpool having even only a minute or two of banter is pretty fun. 

Currently, Robert Downey Jr. is working on two things, neither of them related to Marvel. In his statement to GQ, he had said, “real world to save”. It’s assumed that he was in part referencing his current investments with Turntide Technologics Inc. The company is working on ways to cut carbon emissions from vehicles. His second project is, hopefully, Sherlock Holmes 3. The movie was delayed for unknown reasons and then for the pandemic lockdowns. It’s hoped that production will move forward on the next Sherlock soon.