It appears Robert Downey Jr. has rethought coming back to his role as Iron Man.
In a touching, wide-ranging interview with Esquire that began shortly after his nomination for the Academy Award-winning Oppenheimer, Downey revealed that he would — to use a turn of phrase he once used on The Howard Stern Show — “put the jersey back on” and play once again for Marvel Studios.
When asked if he’d return as the self-described billionaire, genius, playboy philanthropist Tony Stark, Downey revealed, “Happily. It’s too integral a part of my DNA. That role chose me.”
Tony Stark sacrificed himself to snap away Thanos at the end of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told Vanity Fair in December, “We would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
But that was then, and Marvel’s blockbuster-minting machine has had some hiccups, with misfires like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels.
That said, Downey tells Esquire, “I always say, Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige. It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.”
In the past, Downey told The Joe Rogan Show that a return was “off the table,” barring a “super-compelling argument.”
Incidentally, Esquire‘s post-Academy Awards questions revealed what Downey thought of a couple of clunker monologue jokes Jimmy Kimmel lobbed at him on Oscar night poking fun at his past drug abuse.
“I don’t care,” RDJ said. “I love Jimmy Kimmel. I think he’s a national treasure.”
As for what it felt like while he hoisted that glamorous award? Downey noted he felt something less glamorous, saying, “I was just trying to hold my mud.”
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Camila Cabello has a “trauma bond” with duet partner Lil Nas X: He’s a “true artist”
May 21, 2024
David DickensonCamila Cabello's latest song, "He Knows," is a collab with Lil Nas X, and she says…
Officials say the investigation continues into Matthew Perry’s death, source of fatal ketamine
May 21, 2024
ABC NewsThe investigation into the death of Friends star Matthew Perry remains ongoing, especially…
Billie Eilish finds it “frustrating” people want to dissect all her lyrics
May 21, 2024
Courtesy of Apple MusicBillie Eilish's new album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, is out now, and as usual,…
Nikki Glaser on why Ben Affleck “bombed” at Tom Brady roast + why the boos began for Kim K.
May 21, 2024
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for NetflixIt's been a couple of weeks since Netflix's hit roast of…
Riley Keough fighting auction of Elvis Presley’s Graceland, claims fraud
May 21, 2024
Dia Dipasupil/Getty ImagesElvis Presley’s eldest granddaughter, actress Riley Keough, is fighting…
Paramount+ beams Holly Hunter aboard for ‘Starfleet Academy’
May 21, 2024
Disney/Pixar/Ricky MiddlesworthOscar winner Holly Hunter has joined the cast of Paramount+'s…
Charlie Puth offers Taylor Swift shout-out and more info on new song “HERO”
May 21, 2024
Taylor Hill/Getty ImagesA month after Taylor Swift mentioned him in the title track of The Tortured…
Prime Video turns English history on its head with ‘My Lady Jane’
May 21, 2024
Prime VideoPrime Video has just dropped the trailer to My Lady Jane, a buzzy new alternative…