Robert Downey Jr. Confirms Avengers 4 Return

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Robert Downey Jr. Announces Avengers 4 Return

Robert Downey Jr. confirms his return as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, in Anthony and Joe Russo's upcoming 2019 MCU movie, Avengers 4.

Robert Downey Jr. confirms his return as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, in Anthony and Joe Russo's untitled Avengers 4 movie. The upcoming 2019 superhero team-up movie will effectively conclude the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first saga before beginning anew with the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel later that year. Avengers 4 was originally billed as being the second-half of a two-part story, but the studio eventually decided to go in a different direction and make the film standalone. However, that doesn't mean Avengers 4 won't contain repercussions from Avengers: Infinity War.

The Russo brothers completed principal photography on Avengers: Infinity War a few months ago - which will see the Earth's mightiest heroes reunite against the Mad Titan Thanos and his loyal Black Order - and are now knee-deep in filming what could be their fourth and final MCU installment, Avengers 4. Although Marvel Studios has been tight-lipped about who's involved with either Avengers movie, set photos have indicated that at least some people would be returning, including Hawkeye, Black Panther, and Iron Man. And Downey Jr. has now provided official confirmation of his return.

Downey Jr. posted a picture on Instagram (below) yesterday showcasing his chair (named after his character) along with three others - Scott Lang, Natasha Romanoff, and Steve Rogers - thus confirming his return as well as the return of Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. What's more, the photo also expressly confirms Paul Rudd's addition, making Avengers 4 his first Avengers movie (he and Evangeline Lilly aren't confirmed to appear in Avengers: Infinity War).

New flick, new short chair. #lumbarsupport #marvel #bts A post shared by Robert Downey Jr. (@robertdowneyjr) on Oct 27, 2017 at 1:15pm PDT

Captain America may be the shared universe's first Avenger, but it was really Downey Jr. that started it all as Iron Man in Jon Favreau's 2008 film. The movie successfully launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and propelled the actor into global stardom - but his character may be running out of time. The Infinity War directors have routinely teased major character deaths in the team's upcoming showdown with Thanos, and many people believe that Tony Stark will be the first one to bite the dust. While that may very well happen in Infinity War, that doesn't preclude Downey Jr. from returning for Avengers 4. After all, the MCU can't close out its first chapter without its titular star.

Another possibility is that Infinity War goes against all expectations and allows Iron Man to survive, only to retire him later on. Considering that Avengers 4 is filming a funeral scene and that Ty Simpkins will reportedly reprise his Iron Man 3 role as Harley Keener, it's possible that Iron Man could be killed off in Avengers 4.