We Probably Won’t See the Return of This Beloved Hero in the MCU

Since the end of Avengers: Endgame, fans have wondered if they would ever see the original six Avengers back in action. With three of the original members gone, fans had hoped that actors like Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, and Robert Downey Jr. would somehow return for Avengers: Secret Wars.

However, a new Vanity Fair profile on Robert Downey Jr. offers a definitive answer. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige discussed Downey’s contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Downey’s potential return was brought up.

According to Feige, of all the characters in the MCU, the moment we won’t see ruined is Tony Stark’s sacrificial snap to save the universe and defeat Thanos in Endgame. “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige said. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that. We would never want to magically undo it in any way.”

The moment in question is still one of the most iconic moments in the MCU as a whole. What that doesn’t necessarily mean, though, is that Downey (and therefore) the rest of the Avengers who are no longer alive in the main timeline will come back. Even though Chris Evans has said they haven’t heard anything about coming back, there are plenty of other options for the O.G. Avengers to make an appearance once more.

Could we still see Downey in the MCU?

Retconning Tony Stark’s sacrifice is obviously the wrong move, and I don’t think anyone wants that. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to see Johansson, Evans, or Downey again. The three of them appearing in Secret Wars as variants of Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and Tony Stark would be amazing. But Marvel would have to craft a worthy storyline for them that isn’t just a cheap nod for fans.

To be honest, I don’t think that Evans, Downey, or Johansson would come back to the MCU if it were a less-than-stellar way to give fans the characters they love so much. What I do love about Feige’s quote is that he knows a fan service ploy would only turn people off. Feige and company aren’t going to cheapen the impact of their best films for a quick cash grab. And neither will the actors who so enjoyed playing those roles.

(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)