‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ could be the launch pad for several MCU characters with potential hint of the return of Iron Man.
Death is not permanent, not in the Multiversal saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe anyway. Of course, we have mourned the death of the beloved villain turned-hero with a glorious purpose, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki but we got him back with an even more interesting twist— further exploration of the character even without the inherent shadow of his brother, Thor, as depicted in the previous movies in the MCU.
Robert Dowmey Jr. as Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame
Like Loki’s apparent death, fan-favorite Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man demise was perhaps the saddest part for any MCU fan. There could have always been more from the character but killing him off in the Avengers: Endgame made perfect sense and his death was glorious but with Deadpool & Wolverine, a lot can change.
Return of Iron Man— Not Seemingly A Long Shot
Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man
All it needs to fit in a narrative with an explanation that sounds plausible. Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man return is the most likely scenario ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars or maybe in the movie itself. There are several possible reasons and one of them is inherently Tony Stark being the fan-favorite titular hero from the original Avengers. Downey Jr made his MCU debut in the first Iron Man movie released in 2008 and directed by Jon Favreau, it was a surprising hit, and the character established its roots in the MCU until Endgame.
Deadpool & Wolverine brought back Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine— the idea that was born out of Ryan Reynolds and Jackman’s long-time dream to unify the celebrated heroes— despite Wolveine’s death in Logan. Sure, we are promised that Deadpool & Wolverine would not touch the exact timeline of Logan’s death but like Loki, it is fair to assume that Jackman’s return as Wolverine would be too close to his variant in the 20th Century Fox movies. Understandable, it is hard to let go of a beloved character, or without the MCU playing with it once. And in this case, what better way to bring him back than ‘anything could happen in the Multiverse’ narratives?
On that note, it is hard to deny the fact that Downey Jr’s Iron Man return would not be a long shot. A new look of Deadpool & Wolverine inside TVA with Deadpool holding a TemPad also backs the idea. But again, these resurrections have been working so well by far but would this be a recurring thing? If it is, this might ruin the very experience of MCU and Marvel Studios must tread that carefully.
Robert Downey Jr Is Open To Return As Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr in Avengers: Endgame
Jackman who was not ready to hang up his boots playing Logan, joined the X-Men in 2000 playing the titular character for nearly 24 years. Likewise, Downey Jr has also shown his keen interest in reprising his MCU role despite the actor experiencing the heydays of his career outside the shadow of the MCU. Downey Jr went on to win an Oscar for his role in Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed 2023 blockbuster Oppenheimer and has been very particular about the choice of his roles. But the Iron Man blood still runs in his veins. “It’s too integral a part of my DNA,” Downey told Esquire of his MCU character.
“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.”
Also, previously, appearing on Rob Lowe’s “Literally!” podcast, the actor revealed that he would come back to the MCU in a heartbeat.
“I know what your deal is. Here’s what you do. You go, ‘I’ll come back and I’ll play Tony Stark for you guys again since you fucked everything up. But I want a gazillion dollars. I know what that number should be, and I want first dollar gross of every ensuing movie. That’s what I would do,” the Avengers star said.
Of course, so far, Marvel Studios has not shown any interest in bringing back Iron Man, not publicly anyway. But Marvel Studios is secretive with full of surprises and in the near future seeing the beloved hero flying in the sky would not be far-fetched.
