Robert Downey Jr signs for Iron Man 2

Robert Downey Jr has officially signed a deal to appear in both Iron Man 2 and The Avengers, guaranteeing him a hefty payday to keep playing Tony Stark.

While it’s been assumed for a while that Downey Jr would agree to stay as Stark, nothing had been 100% confirmed for Iron Man 2.

Now, reports Variety , Marvel has struck a deal that will see him appear in both the sequel and the superhero team-up, which Iron Man helmer Jon Favreau will executive produce – though it’s unlikely he’ll direct it due to the IM schedule.

Cheadle confirmed

Plus, while Marvel had stayed quiet on the issue of swapping out Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes and replacing him with Don Cheadle, the company has now confirmed that Cheadle’s in - and will hopefully play Rhodes in The Avengers to boot.

So now we’ll see the proper Tony Stark working alongside Captain America, Thor and The Incredible Hulk. Warners take note: this is how you build a superhero universe on screen.