You don’t have to read comic books to know superhero deaths are rarely final. All you need is a love for the MCU to know that Marvel will inevitably bring back Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), with Secret Wars being the likeliest place we’ll see Tony Stark again.
Marvel already pulled the same stunt with great results with Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston). The latter had tremendous success. However, in both cases, these were variants of the original character, who died in Infinity War or Endgame.
We’re about to witness it again this summer when Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) jumps from the Fox Universe to the MCU via Deadpool 3 despite dying in the former universe. But, again, we’re looking at a Wolverine variant rather than the Logan from the Fox movies.
Marvel would be stupid not to capitalize on the popularity of all these characters. That means putting the likes of Iron Man, Deadpool, Wolverine, Sony’s three Spider-Man, X-Men, and all the MCU’s Avengers in the same movie. I’m certain it’ll happen in Avengers: Secret Wars and some of the signs are starting to show up clearer than ever.
Take RDJ, for example. After doing the expected denials in previous years, the actor has changed his tune when answering questions about returning to his most famous role. Downey Jr. said a few months ago that he’d happily play Iron Man again. He has just reiterated those comments in a new interview. Some spoilers might follow below.
Esquire asked RDJ a couple of months ago whether he’d return to Marvel now that he won the Oscar for his role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
“Happily,” the actor said. “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.”
The statement comes in stark (pun intended) contrast to his previous remarks about playing Iron Man again after the character’s heroic death in Avengers: Endgame. But then again, what was he going to say all these years? That he’d be back no matter what happened? RDJ knows better than that.
Not to mention that he’ll probably make a fortune by appearing in the Secret Wars movie. Or movies. Rumors say Marvel might split Avengers 6 into two parts.
Fast-forward to early June and RDJ had a chat with Jodie Foster in Variety’s Actors on Actors interview. Here’s what Downey Jr. said when Foster asked him whether he’d think about putting the suit back for Tony Stark:
It’s just crazily in my DNA. Probably the most like-me character I’ve ever played, even though he’s way cooler than I am. I’ve become surprisingly open-minded to the idea. Between Nyad and [Night Country] and, for me, Oppenheimer and then Sympathizer, it really is crazy because we look pretty good. I was actually looking at the stills we were taking, making sure: ‘Do we still look kind of OK?’ I’m like, ‘We look pretty good.’
I expect RDJ to keep offering variations of these responses in future interviews, especially if Marvel chooses not to announce that Iron Man will be back in Secret Wars.
On the same note, it’s worth remembering that Chris Evans displayed a similar change of tune in his answers to questions about playing Steve Rogers in the MCU after Endgame. The former Captain America might not have died, but he aged quite a bit by the end of Endgame.
That said, I expect the young version of old Cap to join the Avengers in Endgame, right alongside Iron Man. And I’m also holding out hope for Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to return.