MCU fans hoping Robert Downey Jr. would dawn the iron super suit one more time will have to keep crying during Avengers: Endgame because it’s not happening.
Marvel Studios Vice President of Production and Development Stephen Broussard has produced some butthurt fans who thought Tony Stark would show up in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Others went as far as to “confirm” his appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars. A couple of months and one interview later, those rumors are all but snapped away within a few minutes at io9’s studios.
The noted nerd corner of Gizmodo sat down with the MCU producer to discuss Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, developing Kang the Conqueror, and what else the Quantum Realm has to offer. It was a good interview–thoroughly informative about working with Jonathan Majors, going from Loki to Quantumania, and developing projects like Werewolf by Night.
Then, it happened.
Robert Downey Jr. is (No Longer) Iron Man
Sure, in our hearts, he always will be. We love Robert Downey Jr. 3000, but even Marvel Studios knows when to say goodbye. io9 did too, but they didn’t even ask. Broussard gave the MCU faithful the death knell unwarranted and unapologetically.
“How is Marvel going to use all these [Phase Four and new Phase Five] pieces to make it all make sense,” io9 asked the film’s producer. “Well, I think one of the meta-narratives of Phase Four was about new characters, said Broussard. “It was about new people stepping into mantles.”
After these first 10 years of Marvel storytelling, torches are being passed, like with Robert Downey Jr. no longer being [on the] table and stuff like that. So it was kind of like a new generation stepping to the forefront which, again, has always happened in the comics.
Stephen Broussard, Marvel VP of Production and Development
And boom goes the dynamite! Well, again.
While this errant comment is making waves internationally, it’s not really an original thought. In fact, these are Marvel talking points from two years ago. No, really.
After fans watch Robert Downey Jr. buried in the final emotional moments of Avengers: Endgame, people were dealing with that moment weeks later. So, the man behind the Stark went on the largest podcast in the world to discuss it. There he is, talking to Joe Rogan about what it would take to return to the titular role. RDJ, never short for a salient thought, said…and we quote…
“To me, starting up again is off the table. I feel like I’ve done all I could with that character.” Yeah. Y’all have done all you can with that catchphrase too.
Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.
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