Robert Downey Jr is NOT Returning as Iron Man In MCU Says Marvel Studios Head

Robert Downey Jr. has finished his tenure as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Kevin Feige has stated that the character will not be returning.

"We are going to keep that moment and not touch it again," Feige said in the Downey Jr. profile for Vanity Fair. "We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way." Downey Jr. last played the superhero in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, when he died. Fans of the MCU who hoped to see Tony Stark resurrected in some fashion can forget about it.

"We'd already said tearful goodbyes on the last day of shooting," director Joe Russo revealed. Everyone had emotionally moved on. We told him that would be the last time we forced him to do it. Co-director Anthony Russo stated that it was a "difficult thing" for Downey Jr. to utter his final sentence as the superhero.

“When he did come back, we were shooting on a stage directly opposite where he auditioned for Tony Stark. So his last line as Tony Stark was shot literally a couple hundred feet from his original audition that got him the role,” Anthony said.