A new report indicates that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU to reprise his role as Tony Stark in the forthcoming Black Widow movie.
Warning: Major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame ahead.
Great news, Marvel fans! It seems we haven’t actually said our final goodbye to Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. A report from Deadline indicates that the actor will reprise his role in the upcoming Phase Four movie Black Widow.
The Deadline report didn’t offer any additional details surrounding RDJ’s return to the MCU, but it isn’t wholly surprising to see him again. Black Widow does take place in the past and tells the origin story of Natasha Romanoff as Black Widow.
Of course, it isn’t clear yet what Robert Downey Jr.’s role will be in the new film, or if the movie will recycle footage from Iron Man 2. However, we’re excited that we get to enjoy a bit more Tony Stark in the MCU, as we’re all still reeling from his tragic death in Endgame.
However, his reappearance does raise a few eyebrows when it comes to how Endgame handled Stark’s death. Endgamehas come under criticism for the massive pomp and circumstance that surrounded Tony Stark’s death compared to the very short amount of screen time dedicated to honoring Black Widow after she sacrificed herself on Vormir.
The Russo Brothers justified that choice, saying it was because Tony was “done” in the MCU, while Natasha had another adventure coming in her standalone film. So while this reported addition of Tony Stark has got us excited to see Robert Downey Jr. in the MCU at least one more time, we can’t help but raise our eyebrows a bit.
Realistically, chances are pretty strong that RDJ will only show up on the screen for a brief moment, so it makes sense that the Russos didn’t consider Black Widow to be another adventure with Iron Man. So even though we might have a few remaining questions for the Russos about Endgame, we can’t help but feel excited that Tony and Natasha get to hang out together one more time on the big screen, even if it’s only for a short time.
Black Widow is set to open in movie theaters everywhere May 1, 2020.