Russo Brothers Open To Iron Man MCU Return If It's Earned

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo are open to bringing Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) back in the MCU after his death in Avengers: Endgame, but it has to be in an earned way. The franchise's inaugural hero kicked the universe off back in 2008 with Jon Favreau's Iron Man. Last year, he ended his 11-year-stint with an epic send-off via the culminating film, but conversations about his potential return continues with the Russos now sharing their two cents.

Downey had been a fixture in the MCU, starring in a total of 10 movies. Aside from his own trilogy series, as well as the Avengers sub-franchise, he also had supporting roles in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Given his decision to sacrifice his own life to take down Thanos in Endgame, chances of fans seeing him again in the franchise is currently slim to none. That doesn't mean, however, that it won't change moving forward, especially if a particular narrative calls for his return.

For the Russos, they're not opposed to the idea, but they want to make sure that Iron Man's return is done in a way that won't cheapen his Endgame arc, that's what the filmmakers told Reel Blend podcast recently. This was in light of their conversation with Downey during the movie's watch party to commemorate its first year anniversary hitting theaters.

"I mean look, certainly we've always said this and we believe this about stakes have to be real, and if they're not real, like the audience's emotional investment in the moment and in those characters in the narrative is only...is contingent upon them feeling like there's potential, there's something to be lost.

"So in all of our storytelling, even though those Marvel movies a lot of the story was difficult, we wanted to commit very hard to that idea. So to answer your question, I think it would be in the context of that. It depends on how he was brought back. It depends on the storytelling, but it is certainly something that has to be earned. It's certainly something that would shock and surprise audiences, so you can't simply just bring him back. There would have to be a really compelling, innovative, unpredictable narrative event to find your way there in order for it to be worth it."

Tony Stark with the infinity gauntlet in Avengers: Endgame

There's no credible reports so far that the MCU is bringing Downey back into the franchise, although there are some rumors that he's lined up for an involvement for upcoming Marvel Studios' projects. Most notably, there are rumors that he'll have a role in Cate Shortland and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, as well as the the animated series, What If...?. Since Black Widow is a prequel film since the title character also died in Endgame, they can bring back Tony without undoing his fate in the Russos' movie. Meanwhile, since the Disney+ series What If...? isn't part of the MCU and is an animated series, the actor can simply lend his voice to bring his old character to life in the show.

While seeing Downey reprise his role as Iron Man in any capacity would be a thrill to see, the smart thing for Marvel Studios to do at this point is not give into the fan clamor and focus on building other stories. As it is, transitioning the MCU to Phase 4 will already be a massive challenge considering that they're offering fans something entirely new and it won't help bringing someone as tied to the Infinity Saga as Tony Stark as they tread unchartered territories. Instead, a surprise return for the franchise's inaugural hero should be saved for later, when they're ready to roll out something as cumulative as Avengers: Endgame was.

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Source: Reel Blend