Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. seemed to indicate something is in the works with him and the Marvel Cinematic Universe during an appearance on Rob Lowe’s podcast.
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man (2008), Marvel Entertainment
About 14 minutes into the podcast, Lowe begins to chide Downey Jr. for seemingly checking his phone while they are recording.
Lowe asks, “It is some Marvel s**t? You going to break some stories here?”
Downey Jr. responds, “Not just yet.”
Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Chris Evans as Captain America, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, and Mark Ruffalo as Hulk in The Avengers (2012), Marvel Entertainment
Lowe then shared he wants to negotiate for Downey Jr. and went on to explain how he would do it , “I want to be on that call. I want to be negotiating for you. I know what your deal is. … Here’s what you do. You go, ‘I’ll come back and play Tony Stark again for you guys since you f***ed everything up. But I want a gazillion dollars and I actually know what that number should be and I want first dollar gross of every ensuing movie.”
Downey Jr. responded, “Sounds quite hostile.” But he then added, “Historically, you are an excellent negotiator and you are almost always out in front of your negotiations. You are a beautiful advocate for self across the board. As a matter of fact you were really the first of us to put down the bottle and live a sober structured life.”
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man (2008), Marvel Entertainment
Later in the podcast, as Cosmic Book News reports, Downey said, “I felt so exposed after being in the cocoon of Marvel where I think I did some of the best work I will ever do, but it went a little bit unnoticed because of the genre.”
He added, “[I] did myself a favor, because the rug was pulled so definitively out from underneath me and all the things that I was leaning on as opposed to what my understanding of confidence and security was, boy did they evaporate. And it rendered me teachable.”
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in Iron Man 2 (2010), Marvel Studios
Downey Jr.’s comments appear to lend credence to a rumor from WDW Pro that he shared back in November that the actor had indeed negotiated a return as Tony Stark to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
First, Variety’s Tatiana Siegel reported that her sources within Marvel Studios informed her “there have been talks to bring back the original gang for an Avengers movie. This would include reviving Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, both of whom were killed off in Endgame.”
However, she added, “But the studio hasn’t yet committed to the idea — if it were able to bring those actors back, it wouldn’t come cheap.”
(L-R): Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Iron Man/Tony Stark and Black Panther/T’Challa in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…? exclusively on Disney+. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Shortly after that report, TimeToShineHello claimed that Robert Downey Jr. had already agreed to return as Iron Man at the beginning of the month.
The user simply shared to X, “RDJ already agreed to come back.”
RDJ already agreed to come back pic.twitter.com/BzN89nfNHW
— MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) November 1, 2023
After noting these two sources, WDW Pro shared the information he received from his sources, “According to my sources this is true. Robert Downey Jr. has indeed signed on to Marvel.”
He later added, “We think this is an intent to is because we don’t think he’s necessarily been given a script although a pitch has probably been made to him. We believe that to be absolutely true.”
The idea is also that Robert Downey Jr. will return for three movies.
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in Iron Man (2008), Marvel Entertainment
READ: Rumor: Iron Man, Captain America, And Black Widow To Be Recast For ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’
Interestingly, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige informed Vanity Fair in December that there were no plans to bring back the main universe Iron Man character that Robert Downey Jr. played.
He 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.”
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in Iron Man 2 (2010), Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios producer Stephen Broussard also told Gizmodo back in February, “Well, I think one of the meta-narratives of Phase Four was about new characters. It was about new people stepping into mantles. If you look at, like, Cassie [Lang in Quantumania] getting a suit and Kate Bishop [in Hawkeye], new characters being introduced like Jack in Werewolf by Night.”
“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. So it was kind of like a new generation stepping to the forefront which, again, has always happened in the comics,” he added.
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in Iron Man (2008), Marvel Entertainment
When asked about a possible return, Downey informed GQ back in April 2021, “I have alighted, for now. Real world to save. But never say never.”
He also told Digital Spy in 2019, “We had to get off. We opted to, and knew it was part of the job to get off the bus while it rolled on to other destinations.”
“There’s something very sobering about it. I’m glad he and I will be there to welcome others as they retire their jerseys,” the Iron Man actor added.
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008), Marvel Entertainment
Throwing a massive curve ball into all of this is a report from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection employee back in July that claimed Downey Jr. was on the set of Captain America: Brave New World.
Nawara Shora posted to LinkedIn, “They are filming Captain America 4 around the White House and near my office. I was on a quick errand walk as I noticed all the lights and equipment and finally asked one of the security folks about it.”
He continued, “He was so talkative and nice, said — (SPOILER) — Robert Downey Jr was there last night and they were driving all sorts of super cars. We had a good talk and some laughs. I kept hoping for some producer to walk up to me and demand: “You! … You have to play my next superhero!”
Shora also shared a photo of the props and set designs he encountered from the production on the streets, “Photo is a sample of what’s all over the streets.”
Nawar Shora LinkedIn
What do you make of Downey’s comments to Rob Lowe?
The more flops they make the less likely they can afford him.