Marvel directors respond to Robert Downey Jr. saying he would 'happily' return as Iron Man

Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo have reacted to the news that Robert Downey Jr. fancies another shot at playing Iron Man.

Fans were elated to hear the news that Robert Downey Jr would ‘happily’ return as Iron Man.

Now, you might remember it was the Russo brother who killed off Tony Stark, after the hero sacrificed his life to defeat Thanos at the end of Endgame.

But death is rarely permanent in the MCU. Patrick Stewart's Professor X has been brutally murdered three times now and still comes back for more, while Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is back for this summer’s Deadpool and Wolverine, despite his heartbreaking demise in Logan.

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man was seen as a 'crazy' idea. (Marvel)

In an interview with Esquire after his Oscar win, talking about if he would be open to returning, Downey Jr said: “Happily. 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.”

Fans were ecstatic to say the least about his comments, with one saying: “I would literally start watching the MCU again if he came back.”

Another said: “His return in Secret Wars will be the biggest cinematic moment of the decade.”

Well fans might be disappointed, because Kevin Feige himself appeared to pour cold water all over the idea of RDJ's return last year.

Speaking to Vanity Fair in December 2023, the Marvel Studios president said: “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again.

“We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”

Robert Downey Jr. starred as Iron Man in the MCU. (Marvel/Disney)

And it seems as though directors Joe and Anthony Russo are singing the same tune as the president.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Joe and Anthony expressed their confusion regarding the cinematic return.

Anthony said: “I don’t know how they would do it.

“I don’t know what the road to that would be [laughs].”

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

Before his sensational acting career, Downey Jr struggled with substance abuse.

Former Marvel Studios presenident David Maisel, the man who cast the RDJ, said his fellow execs thought he was ‘crazy’ for doing so.

Speaking to the New Yorker, he said: “My board thought I was crazy to put the future of the company in the hands of an addict.

“I helped them understand how great he was for the role.

“We all had confidence that he was clean and would stay clean.”

Turns out the decision to go ahead with the casting went down well, to say the least.