Marvel Studios has already mapped out the schedules of its superhero films from this year until 2020 and only the last three remain as anonymous.
While previous speculations suggest that one of the three mystery Marvel movies is “Iron Man 4,” it seems almost unlikely as the studio appears to be determined to wrap up the story of the superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after “Avengers: Infinity War Part 2” to be released in 2019.
“Iron Man” director Jon Favreau revealed recently that he cannot fathom the idea that another actor will be portraying the role of the superhero character in the future outside of Robert Downey Jr.
Favreau believes that Robert Downey Jr. has made the character iconic in the MCU by effectively portraying the genius, billionaire, philanthropist, and playboy Tony Stark, the alter ego of Iron Man.
The director made the comment in light of recent reports saying that the actor will be passing the baton of the character to another actor for a possible fourth stand-alone “Iron Man” movie, even though it is not in the cards of Marvel Studios at the moment.
Favreau said that he just can’t wrap his head around the idea that another actor would be playing the role of Tony Stark / Iron Man and actually coming out better than Robert Downey Jr., details the Vine Report.
Unifying the MCU
The director also believes that the actor is one element of the Marvel Cinematic Universe who has unified everything because of his consistent tone and the integrity of his acting ability. Favreau also added that the talent of RDJ really works synergistically with the MCU.
The Iron Man character was never at the center of the Marvel superhero hierarchy in the comic books. But because of RDJ’s natural inclination to the character, he has actually helped define the role and gave it the unique identity in the MCU.
Favreau said that while it is not surprising if Marvel Studios decide to get another actor to replace Robert Downey Jr. and take on the role of Iron Man in another movie featuring the superhero character in the distant future, he believes that it would not only be a big shoes to fill, but it will also be a bitter pill to swallow both for the MCU and the fans.
Since the successful showing of “Iron Man 3” in 2013, rumors and speculations about “Iron Man 4” have started swirling. Although Robert Downey Jr. is open to taking on the iron suit once again for a possible “Iron Man 4” movie, it seems that Marvel Studios has too much going on in its movie lineup until 2020 that it simply becomes impossible.
Happy to be part of ‘Captain America 3’
While Marvel Studios is contemplating on the idea of “Iron Man 4,” Robert Downey Jr. is actually contented being part again of the third Captain America movie officially titled “Captain America: Civil War” which will hit theaters later this week, notes The Week of UK.
The movie is actually a culmination of the story arcs and character relationships laid over the course of eight years. It is not just arguably the best Marvel Studios movie to date, it is also a turning point for the franchise and a daunting new benchmark for future films in the genre to overcome, notes one critic.
He said that the ultimate fight between Captain America and Iron Man is spectacular and the film also has the most satisfying sequences taking place on the smaller scales including in the stairwells or the plaster-walled rooms.
Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. knows that at some point in his career he will eventually give up his role of Iron Man and Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That is not going to happen yet this year or until 2019 because after “Captain America: Civil War” which shall be hitting theaters in the next few days, he shall be taking on the Iron Man suit and the Tony Stark persona two more times in the two-part “Avengers: Infinity War” film.
So unless Marvel Studios is looking at a cameo appearance for his character in future stand-alone movies of other Avengers, then the third and fourth superhero ensemble films are going to be Robert Downey Jr.’s swan song in the MCU.