Avengers: Endgame Directors Don’t Buy Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man Return Comments

Avengers Endgame Russo Brothers

Avengers: Endgame just recently celebrated it’s fifth anniversary and the film’s directors Joe and Anthony Russo have expressed skepticism about Robert Downey Jr.’s recent comments suggesting he would be open to reprising his role as Iron Man in the MCU.

Earlier this month, Downey Jr. told Esquire magazine that he would happily suit up as Iron Man again, stating, “It’s too integral a part of my DNA. That role chose me. And look, I always say, never, ever bet against Kevin Feige. It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.”

When asked about Downey Jr.’s comments , the Russo Brothers don’t buy it whatsoever.

“I don’t know how they would do it. I don’t know what the road to that would be,” Anthony Russo told Gamesradar, expressing uncertainty about how Iron Man could possibly return given the fact he died fighting Thanos in Endgame.

Joe Russo added, “I mean, we closed that book, so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it.”

Currently, there are no public plans to resurrect Iron Man in the MCU, but with the franchise’s ever-expanding storylines, fans can never rule out surprises.

Downey Jr. is currently riding high after finally winning his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. The Russo Brothers celebrated his achievement, with Joe saying, “His Oscar win was huge. It’s amazing to live vicariously through Robert, you know, that experience for him is so profound because of the journey he’s had. I mean, it’s one of the great stories of redemption. And he’s such a lovely person, such a hard-working person. He’s a generational actor, so that level of recognition for him, I think, was validation of his redemption arc.”

Previously, the Russo Brothers also addressed “superhero fatigue” and Marvel Studios challenges last year at the box office.

“I think it’s a reflection of the current state of everything,” Joe Russo said. “It’s difficult right now, it’s an interesting time. I think we’re in a transitional period and people don’t know quite yet how they’re going to receive stories moving forward, or what kinds of stories they’re going to want.”

“There’s a big generational divide about how you consume media. There’s a generation that’s used to appointment viewing and going to a theater on a certain date to see something, but it’s ageing out,” Joe Russo added. “Meanwhile the new generation are ‘I want it now, I want to process it now’, then moving onto the next thing, which they process whilst doing two other things at the same time.”

Summing up the challenges faced not only by Marvel but the entire entertainment industry amidst changing viewer habits and preferences, Joe Russo said: “You know, it’s a very different moment in time than it’s ever been. And so I think everyone, including Marvel, is experiencing the same thing, this transition. And I think that really is probably what’s at play more than anything else.”

Rick Lemoine

Rick Lemoine

Raised on a hearty dose of Marvel and DC comics, Rick combines his love for superheroes with a knack for writing about Hollywood's brightest.