In what stands as a poignant and iconic moment in comic book movie history, Tony Stark (portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.) made the ultimate sacrifice during the climactic battle of Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame, sacrificing his own life to defeat Thanos and ensure Earth's survival.
Since then, speculation about Downey Jr.'s potential return to the MCU has persisted, with the actor expressing openness to the idea in a recent interview with Esquire.
“Happily. It’s too integral a part of my DNA,” Downey shared with the magazine. “That role chose me. And look, I always say, ‘Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige. It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.”
However, if Downey Jr. were to reprise his role, it would likely be as a Variant. Yet, some fans argue that this could diminish the impact of Stark's original death – sentiments seemingly shared by the filmmakers behind the scene.
Joe and Anthony Russo addressed Downey Jr.'s remarks during an interview with Total Film, and their response didn't lean toward optimism about resurrecting the hero.
“I don’t know how they would do it,” Anthony pondered. “I don’t know what the road to that would be [laughs].” Joe chimed in, “I mean we closed that book so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it.”
It's noteworthy that Kevin Feige shares a similar sentiment about bringing back Tony Stark.
“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige asserted in an interview with Vanity Fair last year. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
What are your thoughts? Do you anticipate seeing Robert Downey Jr. return to the MCU as Tony Stark at some point? Do you believe it's a wise decision? Share your opinions below.