That wouldn’t require any changes to the plot of the film though, so it looks like the rumors surrounding “Iron Man 4” are conflicting a little bit.
Still, Marvel will always know how to make the most from that character and the franchise as a whole when they want to bring it to the big screen, so they should definitely be able to do something good even without the presence of Robert Downey Jr. on the stage.
There have been some minor rumors about a possible spin-off, although we would say that these sound strange and not very plausible as a whole, because Marvel tend to have a relatively firm focus on their productions and they don’t like to stray away too much.
If they have chosen to concentrate on “Iron Man” for the time being, we don’t expect that they would try to make a spin-off so fast, and in addition, this particular franchise is not really that predisposed to a spin-off in the first place. Of all the franchises in Marvel’s portfolio right now, this one is probably the one with the least potential for exploring some of its side of characters in extra details with an additional separate production, although we never know what the studio might be planning.
Come on Marvel, just pay that greedy money-loving pig already! Don’t replace Robert Downey jr.! He IS Iron Man. No one else should take his place! Why does RDJ want so much money anyway? Just sign up for Iron Man 4 already, Robert! We need to see you fight the REAL Mandarin this time! JUST DO IT!!!