Marvel Studios President Reaffirms: Iron Man Won't Be Resurrected

Recently, rumors circulated that Marvel was considering "resurrecting" Iron Man and Black Widow, bringing them back to the new Avengers film to revive the MCU's recent decline. However, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has now stated definitively that Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Iron Man will not be resurrected in future films.

In a recent feature in "Vanity Fair" about Robert Downey Jr., Feige emphasized, "We will preserve that moment (Iron Man's sacrifice in 'Avengers: Endgame'), and we will not tamper with it. To achieve that scene, all of us dedicated years of tremendous effort, and we absolutely do not want to magically undo it in any way."

Feige also recalled the rise of the MCU, when he and "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau strongly recommended Downey for the role of Iron Man. Despite Downey's legal troubles at the time, Marvel's board hesitated over the casting decision. Feige said, "I've never been - and still am not - the kind of person who easily accepts a 'no' as an answer, but I won't storm out pounding my chest. I tried to find ways to make others understand why we should move in a certain direction, hence the idea of a 'screen test' emerged."

After successfully convincing Marvel's board, they chose Downey to play Iron Man, and the "Iron Man" standalone film achieved great success. During the peak of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Downey advocated for the rights of other actors joining the MCU, even assisting them in negotiating salary increases during contract talks. Feige emphasized, "We used to joke that Robert was the head of the acting department because every actor looked up to him. He cared for everyone, not because of a hierarchical relationship, but because he genuinely cared for them and supported them when needed."