Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige confirmed that Robert Downey Jr., who played Tony Stark/Iron Man in 10 films, is not coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The exec announced the news in a recent Vanity Fair story for the actor, “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again.” He added, “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.” Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo added that Downey hesitant to do reshoots for the 2019 film, which marked his final appearance in the MCU. “We’d already said tearful goodbyes on the last day of shooting. Everybody had moved on emotionally,” Joe shared. “We promised him it would be the last time we made him do it—ever.”
“That was a difficult thing for him to do, to come back to pick up that line,” Anthony added. “When he did come back, we were shooting on a stage directly opposite where he auditioned for Tony Stark. So his last line as Tony Stark was shot literally a couple hundred feet from his original audition that got him the role.”
Feige and the Russo Brothers’ statements address recent rumors claiming that they were planning to bring Downey’s Iron Man back amid Marvel’s lackluster performance at the box office, even going as far alleging that the actor had already agreed to return.
