There are only three Iron Man movies in the MCU, and yet Robert Downey Jr. has managed to play Tony Stark and his armored alter ego six times courtesy of Avengers movies and a Captain America sequel. His seventh turn as the billionaire playboy philanthropist occurs once again in a non-Iron Man movie -- this summer's Spider-Man: Homecoming -- where Tony mentors young Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in the ways of being a hero. So what keeps pulling RDJ back into his signature role... besides the paycheck? He told CinemaBlend at a press conference:
What happens to me is that things are presented to me that are really well thought out by folks that have been doing this correctly for a really long time, and I go like, 'Check.'
Robert Downey Jr. joined the cast of Jon Watts' Spider-Man: Homecoming for a press conference in New York City, where he talked to CinemaBlend and a handful of other outlets about the construction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the level of quality control that helps the actors come back. And while it's true that the brightest stars in the Marvel galaxy are paid handsomely to come back for sequel after sequel, it's truly the quality of the movies that convinces actors like Downey and Chris Evans (who also reprises the role of Captain America for a running joke you have seen in the trailers) to suit back up for movies that aren't direct chapters in their own franchises. This is a larger universe, and everyone happily plays along.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, the events of Captain America: Civil War set high-schooler Peter Parker down an unexpected path. He's hoping to become an Avenger, having fought Ant-Man, Captain America and the Winter Soldier while in Berlin. But Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) would prefer that Peter perfect the notion of being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, which means taking care of things on the ground level. Check out the latest trailer to see how that plays out.
We expect Robert Downey Jr. to reprise his Iron Man role for two more movies after Homecoming -- Avengers: Infinity War and the untitled Avengers 4. After that, everything that we are being told suggests that the MCU will be radically altered, and I'm not sure where our heroes, Iron Man included, will even stand in the face of pending dangers. For more on Upcoming Marvel Movies, head on over here, as we see how Phase Three will conclude, and the next chapters of the saga will unfold.
