Kevin Feige – The Hollywood Reporter – says Iron Man will not be returning to the MCU

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame

Courtesy Everett Collection

Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man will not be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – at least according to Kevin Feige.

In an interview with Vanity gallery on The third act Throughout Downey’s decades-long career, the Marvel Studios president has addressed rumors that all of the original Avengers will return in one form or another in a future MCU.

“We will treasure that moment and never touch that moment again,” Feige told the publication of Tony Stark’s emotional final moments. Avengers: Endgame. “We have all worked hard for many years to get there, and we would never want to magically undo that in any way.”

It seems hard to imagine a Marvel universe that doesn’t include Downey, but before he was cast in the crucial Iron Man role, the studio was reluctant to cast him, despite Feige and director Jon Favreau vying for it.

“It was purely because the Marvel board was nervous about putting all their chips in their future movies on someone who had those legal problems in the past,” Feige said of Downey’s arrests. “I wasn’t very good — and I’m still not very good — at taking no for an answer. But I also don’t beat my chest to try to get my way. I try to figure out ways to show others why we should go in a direction. That’s where the idea of ​​a screen test came about.

At that point, Downey had already been nominated for an Oscar Chaplin He should have been able to get the role without an audition, but Marvel executives had to see for themselves that he was the right person for the role — and they did.

After being chosen for Iron Man, Oppenheimer The actor became a team player with his fellow superheroes and fought for them at various points. Before the first AvengersHe even used his contract negotiations to get higher pay for his co-stars.

“We used to joke that Robert was the head of the acting department because everyone there looked up to him,” Feige added. He took them all under his wing but not in a submissive way. He just became their cheerleader.”