There have been rumors going around lately saying that “Iron Man 4” would get a 2019 release date, which to those who are familiar with the Marvel Studios film calendar know that it is not true. Some critics are saying that the release date could have been picked out of nowhere to get the rumor mills swirling again on “Iron Man 4.”
As early as last year, Marvel has already released the schedule of its movies to be released from 2016 to 2019 that is basically the Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and there is no “Iron Man 4” at all. There are, however, three mystery Marvel movies in 2020.
Still, “Iron Man 4” is unlikely to be one of the three mystery Marvel movies in 2020 since Robert Downey Jr. has not yet been confirmed for the film, reports the Latin Post.
There are reports saying that Robert Downey Jr. is now having second thoughts whether to don the iron suit and continue to take on the role of Tony Stark beyond “Avengers: Infinity War Part 2” to be released in 2019.
There are two main reasons why RDJ is getting skeptical about continuing his role as Iron Man and Tony Stark in MCU since he is already getting old and that his talent fee could be pretty expensive.
Role can be recast
There are also reports saying that it is possible that there could be an “Iron Man 4” sometime in 2020 or beyond but it shall no longer be Robert Downey Jr. who shall take on the role of Iron Man and Tony Stark.
It was actually alluded to by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige when he said recently that the iconic roles may be recast because actors get old. He cited in particular several iconic roles including James Bond, Batman, Spider-Man, and also Iron Man, which he said can be portrayed by different actors someday.
But he seems to have put his foot on the break on his statement when he also said that the good news is that he does not have to think about that for a long time, which means that Robert Downey Jr. will still be Iron Man and Tony Stark until 2019 which is still a good three more years.
Beyond 2020 and possibly in “Iron Man 4,” Feige is already non-committal. But what seems clear is that Marvel Studios is open to the idea that iconic roles can be passed on to different actors and that there is no such thing called monopoly in iconic roles.
Still possible to suit up for ‘Iron Man 4’
After 14 films, critics and fans are saying that the best movie in the MCU since it started in 2008 was “Captain America: Civil War” shown in May this year.
Fans really enjoyed the showdown between Captain America/Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans, and Iron Man/Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr.
“Captain America: Civil War” actually kicks off the build up to the two-part “Avengers: Infinity War,” serving as the first installment to the 10-film Phase 3 of the MCU.
Beyond that point in 2019, the future of the Marvel heroes remains unknown, though rumors have continued to persist that Downey could very well suit up for “Iron Man 4.”
While “Iron Man 4” would undoubtedly become a huge hit notwithstanding that its predecessor is the only solo MCU effort to earn more than $1 billion worldwide, taking on a fourth solo adventure for Tony Stark could prove to be the jump-the-shark move that ultimately signals a lack of imagination for the MCU.
For Marvel fans, they also don’t see any other actor playing “Iron Man” in “Iron Man 4” other than Robert Downey Jr. While fans have seen three actors play the Spider-Man role in the last 12 years, it is simply hard to imagine Iron Man and Tony Stark being played by a different actor, notes Moviepilot.