Robert Downey Jr. made it official on the Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show today. Yes, Iron Man 4 is happening! The actor says that negotiations are still ongoing for his return in what will be his 7th featured role in a Marvel movie, and his 9th appearance as Tony Stark altogether.
Iron Man 4 Star Cast
reprised his iconic role as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Don Cheadle and Gwyneth Paltrow also took on new roles. All three actors are expected to return for the fourth movie, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Nick Sullivan as M.O.D.O.K.
If the rumours are true, then actor Robert Downey Jr may just be returning to the MCU as Iron Man, nearly 4 years after hanging up his suit of armour in 'Avengers: Endgame'. The actor was reportedly spotted on the sets of Captain America: Brave New World, which stars Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford in lead roles.
Downey Jr. took on the role for the first time in “Iron Man” in 2008 and performed as the character through 2019's “Avengers: Endgame.”
There are more opportunities for an Iron Man variant to surface in the MCU than ever before. As Kevin Feige confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con in 2022, the franchise's fourth, fifth, and sixth phases are all considered part of “The Multiverse Saga”, meaning that what we've seen so far is only beginning of what's coming.
IRON MAN 4 - Teaser Trailer | Robert Downey Jr.
Riri Williams flew onto the screen as the next Iron Man character, Ironheart, complete with a brand new iron suit. After the death of Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark in Avengers Endgame, the thought of a new Iron Man might be a little hard to swallow, but not for the actor himself.
No this rumor suggested that Cruise would play the more antagonistic Superior Iron Man from the comics. This ultimately did not happen, but it hasn't stopped the speculation that Cruise could turn up in the MCU as an alternate version of Stark at some point in time.
But Johansson has ruled any of that out. Speaking to Variety for a lengthy interview, the actress confirmed she won't do any more Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, calling the fact "bittersweet".
Thor, the god of Thunder, was undoubtedly the most powerful member of the original Avengers. His power continues to grow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Strength. Captain America is physically stronger than Iron Man, whether with his suit or not. If they both entered a ring-to-box hand-to-hand combat, Captain America would destroy Iron Man in that fight. However, if we consider all features in their respective arsenals, Iron Man would literally toast Cap.
Downey Jr will be next seen in Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'. He is also in talks to star in the remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo".
As mentioned above, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty has been delayed by Marvel and will now hit cinemas on May 1, 2026. That's a move of one year from its initial release date of May 2, 2025 and has also led to Avengers: Secret Wars being moved from May 5, 2026 to May 7, 2027.
technology, Tony Stark could return to the MCU through hologram. In the Ironheart comics, Tony does appear as a hologram as his A.I. operates Iron Man suits and projects an image of himself. In the MCU, the Wakandans already use holographic technology to communicate through Kimoyo Beads.
After the events of Civil War II (2016) Tony Stark was believed dead. Invincible Iron Man was relaunched, with Riri Williams serving as the main character. Riri unofficially acted as Iron Man, until she decided to take on the name Ironheart.
Wandavision star Elizabeth Olsen says she's "proud" of her work as the Scarlet Witch in the MCU, but has no plans to reprise the role anytime soon. The actress continued her streak of Marvel-related honesty during Variety's Actors on Actors series.
Chris Hemsworth is only interested in reprising the role of Thor if the approach is "something unique."
Yes, I'm done. Chapter is over. I did all that I had to do.” Scarlett Johansson made it abundantly clear during the interview that she's done with Marvel, and more importantly, done with being Black Widow.
Kevin Feige reveals that before Robert Downey Jr. became the face of Marvel Studios as Tony Stark in Iron Man, the role was offered to Clive Owen. Before Robert Downey Jr. became Tony Stark in 2008's Iron Man, the film that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the part was turned down by Clive Owen.
Tom Cruise revealed that he didn't feel like it was going to work out if he chose to play Iron Man, adding that he tries his best to make his project special but the film was not what he wanted. “It's not happening. Not with me, no … They came to me at a certain point and, when I do something, I wanna do it right.
But the question arises here is: Will Iron Man return to MCU? Well, it is highly unlikely that Tony Stark will return since there are high chances of him being replaced by young Avenger called the Iron Heart, as introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
In this way, Downey's exit has helped keep the MCU fresh to avoid fan fatigue. On the personal side, Downey's comments and discussions in interviews show he's given himself the room to expand to other acting and producing projects and to dive headfirst into his philanthropic efforts.
That film was one of the biggest hits of the year, all thanks to Robert Downey Jr's irreplaceable performance as the genius playboy inventor, Tony Stark. But when the star finally retired from his most iconic role, he felt the world would forget him as the biggest movie star of Hollywood.