Avengers Secret Wars: Robert Downey Jr rumored for Iron Man return

Cameron Frew
Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man and a still from the Secret Wars comics

Robert Downey Jr. is rumored to return to the role of Iron Man in Avengers: Secret Wars, the second of the next two-part team-up event in the MCU.

Downey Jr. is one of the founding fathers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While there’d been success with Spider-Man, X-Men, and Blade, flops and turkeys stained the brand’s name, from Ben Affleck’s Daredevil to Elektra.

In 2008, a new era began: Iron Man, starring the actor as the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark, was a smash hit across the board, and it kicked off the Avengers journey.

While his tenure in the series reached a natural, heart-breaking end in Avengers: Endgame, the door appears to be swinging back open.

Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man return rumored for Avengers: Secret Wars

While alleged by several accounts, Downey Jr’s possible return as Iron Man was leaked by @MyTimeToShineHello, a notable social media scooper.

“RDJ is back baby (for Secret Wars for sure, and there’s been some talks for a cameo in Armor Wars),” they wrote.

Other scoopers have backed the rumor, including Ember, who wrote: “I can corroborate the RDJ thing.”

Has Downey Jr. ever spoken about returning as Iron Man? During an earlier appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, the Oppenheimer star was asked if he’d consider reprising the role… and his response wasn’t promising.

“To me, starting up again is off the table. I feel like I’ve done all I could with that character,” he said.

“There would have to be a super compelling argument and a series of events that made it obvious. But the other thing is, I wanna do other stuff.”

Iron Man appears in both the original 1984 Secret Wars and the 2015 version. However, details regarding the movie remain slim, and its cast has yet to be confirmed – as has its director.

You can find out more about Avengers: Secret Wars here.

About The Author

Cameron is Deputy TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He's an action movie aficionado, '80s obsessive, and Oscars enthusiast. He loves Invincible, but he's also a fan of The Boys, the MCU, The Chosen, and much more. You can contact him at cameron.frew@dexerto.com.