Robert Downey Jr. Confirms His Marvel Cinematic Universe Commitment Is Over

The last movie to be released, Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), officially wrapped up the Infinity Saga, and the next film, Black Widow (2020), will kick off the next phase of the MCU. In this next era of the MCU, we can expect to say goodbye to some of our most beloved characters, and hello to new characters who will carry the franchise forward into the future.

Among those stars who have confirmed their departure from the MCU is Robert Downey Jr., whose character Tony Stark is perhaps the most beloved out of all of them. Fans were devastated by Tony's death in Avengers: Endgame, and it's unsurprising that many were hopeful Downey Jr. might return to the big screen in another Marvel film one day.

In a recent interview on the SmartLess Podcast via ComicBook.com - hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett - RDJ spoke about the aftermath of Iron Man's death in Avengers: Endgame and his relationship with the MCU moving forward. He confirmed "that's all done" in regards to any future commitments with the MCU, more or less solidifying his absence from any future installments.

However, there are still a few ways we could see Tony Stark in new MCU films. While RDJ's contract is up, that doesn't mean we'll never see Tony on the big screen again. Spoiler alert ahead for Black Widow...

There are rumors that RDJ's Tony Stark has a cameo in the upcoming movie, but of course, there's no way of knowing what that would look like for sure. Some fans have speculated that this cameo will actually take the form of a deleted scene from Captain America: Civil War, one that has been screened before but has never been featured as bonus material.

In the scene, Tony allegedly meets with Natasha and tells her to go on the run, which would serve as a perfect lead-in to Black Widow after the events of Civil War, and would serve as a nice wrap-up for the Iron Man character.

There's also the option for RDJ to sign back on with some sort of single-appearance deal, though this seems less likely.

While it's so hard to say goodbye to our favorite characters, especially Tony Stark/Iron Man, there's such an exciting line-up of movies and tv shows to come with brand new actors and characters. With eight films confirmed for theatrical release and eight tv shows slated for premiere on Disney+, there's no shortage of upcoming MCU content to look forward to.

While Phase 4 will kick off with the aforementioned Black Widow (currently set to release on November 6, 2020) and will feature some characters we know and love, some of the films to follow will dive into the unknown and diverge from anything we've seen so far. These include Eternals (currently slated for February 12, 2021) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (slated for May 7, 2021), which feature characters that are probably less well-known to the average movie-going audience.

These movies present the opportunity for Marvel to introduce us to new characters who could one day become just as beloved as RDJ's Iron Man, characters who can pick up the mantle and keep the MCU moving into the future. While we'll still see some characters we know and love, like Thor, Spider-Man, and Captain Marvel, Marvel is preparing to tell some stories never before seen on screen.

As it is, we can't wait to find out about future opportunities for RDJ's Iron Man to shine, and even if we never see him on the big screen again, we're unbelievably excited for all that Marvel has in store.

Written By Leana Ahmed

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