'The Avengers 2': Joss Whedon All But Guarantees Robert Downey Jr. Will Return

Walt Disney Pictures

Robert Downey Jr.'s been playing mighty coy ever since Iron Man 3 grossed nearly $1.2 billion worldwide. He hasn't officially signed on to return as tech-whiz capitalist Tony Stark, or his CGI-suited alter ego Iron Man, in The Avengers 2, Joss Whedon's sequel to the one Marvel movie that might be more successful than Iron Man 3. But Whedon is putting your fears to rest. In a new interview with The Daily Beast, he pretty much guarantees that Downey will be back in the suit.
"I have no intention of making Avengers 2 without him, nor do I think I'll be called upon to do that," Whedon says. "I don't think it's in my interest, Marvel's interest, or his interest, and I think everything will be fine." He also goes on to state that Downey is as singular in the role as Iron Man as Sean Connery was as 007. "[Downey] is Iron Man," Whedon says. "He is Iron Man in the way that Sean Connery was James Bond."
That's an interesting way of putting it. Because Whedon is saying that Downey is inseparable from the role...but also replaceable, just as Connery certainly was. That would echo recent comments from Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige who also likened Iron Man to Bond...but as a character strong enough to survive multiple actors interpreting the role.