Robert Downey Jr. isn't ruling out a return to the MCU as Iron Man

MCU pioneer Robert Downey Jr. sees his return to the MCU as Iron Man unlikely, but possible. 

The 54-year-old actor has appeared in over ten movies since he helped usher in the MCU in 2008's Iron Man, and until now it was all but certain his appearance in 2020's Black Widow would be the last time we saw his portrayal of Tony Stark. In an interview with Extra (via CBR) promoting Dolittle, Downey had this to say after being asked about stepping into the Iron Man suit once more: "Yeah, anything could happen."

He later added, "As far as I'm concerned I've hung up my guns and I'm good to let it go. I also think that Marvel is on this journey now where they're trying a bunch of other stuff. I'm excited for them to see how all of that goes. It's hard to project but we got a lot of other stuff we want to do."

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. Proceed with caution.

Of course, it only makes sense for Downey not to completely rule out a return to one of the most profitable cinematic properties of all time. But with Tony Stark's decisive death at the end of Avengers: Endgame, it's still a bit of a surprise to hear the actor speak so openly about his potential return to the role. It'd certainly be interesting to see the limits of anti-aging technology work the veteran actor into a prequel or flashback sequence.

GamesRadar+ reported in November that Downey could reprise his role as Tony Stark in the animated Disney+ show, 'What If,' after Goldblum suggested as much in an interview. However, The Wrap later reported that Goldblum had simply misspoke and that Downey wouldn't be appearing in the Disney+ series.

If Downey's Iron Man represents the MCU's history, here are the shows and movies that will define Marvel Phase 4 going into the new decade.