Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Los Angeles: Robert Downey Jr has completed his run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and will not be returning as superhero Iron Man, says Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige.
Downey Jr last played the role in 2019’s The Avengers: Endgame when the superhero died. Since then, there have been fan speculation about Tony Stark aka Iron Man's return to the MCU.
“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," Feige told Vanity Fair in the Downey Jr. profile.
Director Joe Russo, who directed The Avengers: Infinity War and The Avengers: Endgame along with brother Anthony Russo, said the team has also moved on emotionally from Downey Jr's departure from the franchise.
“We’d already said tearful goodbyes on the last day of shooting. Everybody had moved on emotionally. We promised him it would be the last time we made him do it-ever," Joe said.
Anthony recalled that it was a “difficult thing” for the Hollywood star to say his last line as the superhero.
“When he did come back, we were shooting on a stage directly opposite where he auditioned for Tony Stark. So, his last line as Tony Stark was shot literally a couple hundred feet from his original audition that got him the role,” Anthony said.
Downey Jr essayed the role of Tony Stark aka Iron Man across 10 films of the MCU.