Is Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU?

Robert Downey Jr. recently picked up his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Oppenheimer. But just because Downey has enjoyed continued success beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it doesn’t mean that he would turn down a chance to reprise his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the future.

During a new interview with Esquire, Downey reiterated his willingness to work with Marvel again.

“Happily,” said Downey. “It’s too integral a part of my DNA. 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.”

Of course, there is a big complication that might make Downey’s return difficult. Tony Stark died in Avengers: Endgame during the final battle with Thanos and memorably had a well-attended funeral near the conclusion of the film. Given Marvel’s recent multiverse movies, it’s within the realm of possibility that Downey could play a different version of Iron Man. But Marvel’s Kevin Feige has previously indicated that he doesn’t want to undo Iron Man’s grand sacrifice.

“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige told Vanity Fair in December 2023. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”

There was also a report last year that Marvel is attempting to bring back all of the original Avengers stars, in part to turn around the company’s recent struggles at the box office. Since then, there have been no further rumblings about the subject.

Avengers 5, formerly known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, will hit theaters on May 1, 2026.