5 Ways IRON MAN Star Robert Downey Jr. Can Return To The Marvel Cinematic Universe

With rumours swirling that Marvel Studios tried and failed to bring Robert Downey Jr. back as Iron Man for Deadpool & Wolverine, we're taking a look at the ways the character could return down the line...

By JoshWilding - Jul 01, 2024 12:07 PM EST

Filed Under: Avengers: Secret Wars

Over the weekend, we learned that Marvel Studios considered bringing Robert Downey Jr. back as Iron Man for Deadpool & Wolverine's post-credits scene. For some reason, it didn't work out, though we still expect the actor to factor into the next Avengers movies.

With Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon - not to mention some big announcements at this month's San Diego Comic-Con - we started thinking about the ways Tony Stark could make his presence felt in the Multiverse Saga.

From Multiversal Variants to unexpected "resurrections" and even the possibility of Downey Jr. playing someone else altogether, we think you'll enjoy exploring these possibilities. Some are more likely than others, sure, but who knows what surprises are in store for us?

You can read through this feature by tapping the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.

5. A Completely Different Character

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has been pretty adamant that Tony's heroic sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame won't be undone. As we'll soon explain, the Multiverse provides ways around that but what if the idea is to give Downey Jr. the chance to do something totally different?

As a new character, the Oscar-winner can shake off Iron Man's shadow and show a completely new side of himself in the MCU...while making the same boatload of cash he did while playing the Armoured Avenger, of course.

Our suggestion? Doctor Doom! The villain's face is hidden and, given the complicated relationship between Kang, Doom, Iron Man, and Reed Richards (all of whom have been Kang Variants or linked to him in some way in the past), this works on several levels.

Downey Jr. can sink his teeth into a villainous role and be the perfect foil for Marvel's First Family either on their Earth or a rebooted 616.

4. Time Travel

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When Marvel Studios first introduced the concept of the Multiverse, it was a whole lot less complicated. Essentially, it boiled down to time travel and diverging timelines; now, there are literally countless alternate realities which are either similar to 616 or vastly different.

For Iron Man's possible return, we'd recommend keeping things simple.

Yes, you could go down the route of plucking a near-unrecognisable Iron Man from another world and, as we'll soon discuss, there are some exciting benefits to that. Alternatively, why not head back in time and pluck Tony from the events of say, Iron Man?

This would be a "Variant," of course, but it's fun to imagine the Tony we saw reveal his identity to the world - and who wasn't a team player - taken from his timeline and thrown into a new group of Multiversal Avengers. He'd surely clash with his fellow heroes and it would allow Downey Jr. to revisit the Iron Man he first played in 2008.

3. The Multiverse Saga's Villain

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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness took us to a parallel Earth and introduced the Illuminati, a borderline villainous group of heroes who had killed Thanos and then murdered Stephen Strange for putting their reality at risk.

Unfortunately, Marvel Studios dropped the ball on Earth-838 by making it borderline futuristic and, for reasons which still aren't clear, dressing everyone there the same. The world Strange and America Chavez landed on ultimately felt vastly different to the one inhabited by the Illuminati.

That misstep aside and the reality laid waste to by the Scarlet Witch can still be revisited in the next Avengers movies.

The presence of Ultron drones and an empty chair in the Illuminati's headquarters suggested someone might be missing and we think it would be fun for that to be a "Superior" Iron Man who is now out for revenge. He can lead Earth-838's remaining heroes against those on 616, particularly if the two realities collide in an Incursion.

2. Artificial Intelligence

Everyone is talking about Artificial Intelligence these days, but Marvel Studios was ahead of the curve with the introduction of characters like J.A.R.V.I.S. and Ultron.

At the end of Avengers: Endgame, a hologram of Tony bid farewell to his daughter in an emotional moment. However, it also surely left the door open to an A.I. version of Iron Man being able to take control of one of his armours and "live" to fight another day.

This could be explained by a copy of his consciousness somehow being saved by his armour and, while it would only be a temporary return, it's a way to bring Iron Man back which doesn't cheapen his death. It also lines up with the comics.

It's not the most exciting way to facilitate the hero's return and we'd imagine Downey Jr. is keen to shake things up a little. If Marvel Studios just wants to get Iron Man back on screen (minus any complicated Multiversal baggage), this is the way to do it.

1. The "OG" Iron Man Returns

In Deadpool & Wolverine, Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine without undoing the mutant's sacrifice in Logan. Aside from a new costume, he seems largely the same as the previous version we've seen on screen and also lost his fellow X-Men in mysterious circumstances.

The Multiverse has provided Marvel Studios with a way of cheating and the same can be true for Downey Jr.'s return as Iron Man.

If Kevin Feige wants to reassemble the original six Avengers, then plucking a near-identical Tony Stark Variant from the timestream gives him the ability to do so without undoing Endgame or confusing moviegoers with too many Multiversal shenanigans.

It's not the most exciting possibility but some of the other ideas we've presented her could somehow come into play. Either way, there's something to be said about seeing the "original" Iron Man over a doppelganger with little in common with our Tony.

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31 Comments

ObserverIO - 7/1/2024, 12:56 PM

I think the obvious one would be to return as a Battleworld variant. It's built into the story.

Malatrova15 - 7/1/2024, 12:56 PM

These list are amazing keep it cuming man!

HammerLegFoot - 7/1/2024, 1:06 PM

I wish I could blink and it would be 2026 already. I'm ready to see whats to come.

LeDiableBlanc - 7/1/2024, 1:50 PM

@HammerLegFoot - I which I could blink and it would be 2006!!!

McMurdo - 7/1/2024, 1:25 PM

Joshy.............

TheVisionary25 - 7/1/2024, 1:34 PM

All of these can be some fun one off possibilities but the one I like the most is having him show up as a villainous version personally…

I still think having him play a Superior Iron Man-esque variant of the character would be deliciously fun!!.

He could even make for a cool recurring antagonist just to see how Pepper , Rhodey , Happy , Peter & Morgan would react to him.

Order66 - 7/1/2024, 1:37 PM

He’s a variant regardless so wherever you pluck him from he is not from Earth 616.

LeDiableBlanc - 7/1/2024, 1:51 PM

I kind of like #3.

asherman93 - 7/1/2024, 1:54 PM

Just let Tony get a proper showdown with Wenwu in What If?

TheVisionary25 - 7/1/2024, 2:17 PM

@asherman93 - that would be cool!!.

RolandD - 7/1/2024, 4:14 PM

@TheVisionary25 @asherman93 - Of course that would be with a variant actor playing a variant Tony. 😂

DravenCorvis - 7/1/2024, 2:14 PM

A list based on speculation and assumptions made of assumptions and speculations.

Bloody hell.

RolandD - 7/1/2024, 4:15 PM

@DravenCorvis - You’ve been around here long enough to expect this by now. 😂

JonC - 7/1/2024, 2:15 PM

theoretically in the 838 the illuminati used the book of ashanti to kill thanos. there was no discussion of stark dying there. and theoretically tony thought the illuminati to be pretty stupid in the 838 hence they died easily by wanda and he had nothing to do with them other than supplying them a drone legion... because there are signs of the legion being there... therefore tony is also still there.

we need the 838 tony stark to show up in the 616 to save the day. he doesn't need to de-age or be a hollogram, etc... he's just RDJ but older as we would expect our 616 tony to be. and clearly he will be smarter than 838 Reed.

JonC - 7/1/2024, 2:20 PM

@JonC - In a recent interview with Empire (via The Direct), Marvel Studios producer Richie Palmer discussed how Earth-838’s Iron Man allowed for the Illuminati’s formation. In particular, he confirmed that the superhero team exists in “a world where Ultron seemed to work the way [he was] intended [to in Age of Ultron],” which gave many enhanced individuals the opportunity to retire, including Wanda. Read the full quote below:

“…this is a world where Ultron seemed to work the way Tony Stark intended him to work in Age of Ultron. 'A suit of armor around the world,' Tony was trying to get the Avengers to retire in Age of Ultron. So, imagine this is a Wanda that, around that time... This is a world where Tony cracked Ultron, and it worked, and he went, 'Hey, whoever wants to retire and go home, can.' And then the Illuminati came to rise behind the scenes, pulling the strings, but I think it's just a little bit of a better world for whatever reason, and Wanda was able to go and have the life that she deserved. We as the audience don't know who the father of those children is in this universe.”

KennKathleen - 7/2/2024, 12:02 AM

@JonC - OR:

6. PHASE 4,5,6 Is just Dr. Strange...

still in meditation...

And we begin back...

At the Endgame...

IAmAHoot - 7/1/2024, 2:25 PM

Pretty sure he can return just by signing a contract.

DocSpock - 7/1/2024, 2:38 PM

@JoshWilding -

This is a decent list from Josh. Most of these ideas have already been batted around, but this is a good summary.

This Kang/time travel/variant/multiverse thing allows the MCU to accomplish many things.

1) Most important: Get an adult Black Panther played by a dynamic new actor.
2) Use RDJ again in a sensible way which would put a lot of a$$es in seats and bring in a ton more cash.
3) With everything available with the FF/X-Men, unleash new threats & heroes like Annihilus, the Starjammers, the Brood, the Hellfire Club, Young Avengers, Mr. Sinister, and Mephisto.(If they haven't pussified and wasted him with that a$$hat borat guy)
4) Fix the totally wimpified Hulk. Turn him bask into a raging volcano monster held barely at bay.(Wouldn't everyone sh!t if we came out of this with Edward Norton Hulk?)
5) Have Spidey come back from Secret Wars with that black goo on his shoe.

Whatta you guys think?

Spike101 - 7/1/2024, 5:01 PM

@DocSpock - sounds perfect to me, particularly having RDJ back and Ed Norton’s Hulk

DocSpock - 7/1/2024, 5:27 PM

@Spike101 -

Yeah, I am very torn on RDJ coming back.

The1st - 7/2/2024, 10:44 AM

@Spike101 - Man...Norton's Hulk would wipe the floor with Ruffalo's.

Spike101 - 7/2/2024, 3:59 PM

@The1st - 100% agree. The Incredible Hulk has always been a very underrated movie too for some reason

ModHaterSLADE - 7/1/2024, 2:58 PM

Earth 616 Stark or a clone body like the comics would do just fine.

S8R8M - 7/1/2024, 2:59 PM

He's dead. Let's leave it there.

JobinJ - 7/1/2024, 3:08 PM

No. He’s dead. Leave him. He had an honorable exit.

Timerider - 7/1/2024, 3:37 PM

I’d like to see him play two parts, one is like Jarvis, but he’s a hologram that helps the new Avengers team. The other he plays an evil variant, he lost Pepper Potts, he’s an alcoholic, he’s arrogant, rude, and just a really bad person. The Avengers bring him into help them solve a few things, he ends up helping the villains and give away their secrets, making life hard for the Avengers.

SummersEssex - 7/1/2024, 4:14 PM

5. Ew.
4. Boring.
3. NO.
2. Lame.
1. Why?

Let him do a Kevin Conroy in Crisis and be a brief evil variant, but nothing more.

SATW42 - 7/1/2024, 4:38 PM

I really thought we would've seen him doing voicework by now as an ai, but once he wasn't in no way home or far from home in spidey's suit as his ai, and now peter is a more traditional spiderman with his suit, I think the days of him being an ai are over.

marvel72 - 7/2/2024, 2:12 AM

Time travel or the multiverse.

It's that simple.

AC1 - 7/2/2024, 2:16 AM

Honestly - I kinda like the idea of more than one of these ideas playing out. And if RDJ wants something new to do with the character this might be the way to achieve that within the parameters of the Multiverse Saga.

I'd say have a villainous version of the character akin to Superior Iron Man appear as a main antagonist - perhaps after what happened on Earth 838 this Iron Man leans further into a more totalitarian stance, maybe even going as far as to kill Kang and take his place in trying to control the timeline - and then have the Beyonder pluck "our" version of Iron Man out of time to join the Multiversal Avengers from some point in the five year gap between Infinity War and the main events of Endgame.

I mean, what better way to give RDJ a new spin on the character to play with than giving him two different versions to portray on opposite sides?

Wulf - 7/2/2024, 1:34 PM

For the MCU, wouldn't that be Earth 199999, as opposed to Earth 616?

Anyway, I think they've already mapped out a way to bring RDJ back, and that would be to just pluck a variant of him from the timeline, à la Gamora. And while we're at it, they can grab a variants of Natasha and Steve, and bring ScarJo and Evans back as well. Might as well have all six original Avengers...

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