It’s difficult to argue that the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while still the biggest movie franchise in the world, isn’t flying at the same heights it once did. While the Deadpool & Wolverine release date arriving this weekend may help change that, it’s been long rumored that Marvel Studios is considering bringing back characters who have been killed off, including Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’ Captain America.
Considering that Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine had died but is back in the new Deadpool movie, Marvel is open to the possibility. Speaking with Discussing Film, Kevin Feige wasn’t closing the door on possibly bringing those characters back in upcoming Marvel movies, as long as it's done correctly. The Marvel Chief explained…
That’s the key, right? How do you do it in a way that maintains what has come before, and in a great way? And we’ve been spending, you know, the last two-plus years figuring that out for Wolverine. So, what’s to come? We’ll see. We’re just proud that we, I think, have figured it out for Wolverine. I think Hugh’s appearance and starring role in [Deadpool & Wolverine] is a great sign that it can be done — if great care is taken.
Feige doesn’t say that Downey or Evans will be back, and he doesn’t admit that those conversations have been happening. But he also doesn’t try to deny it either. It seems that, if it can be done in a way that makes sense, where Marvel doesn’t feel it’s undercutting what came before, these characters could return. It’s starting to feel like this is a question of when not if.
Of course, Feige talks about the idea of Robert Downey Jr. returning as Iron Man, which isn’t what the latest rumor regarding the actor’s return is all about. It’s been suggested that Downey could appear in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, as an alternate universe Tony Stark, who becomes Doctor Doom. It’s a wild rumor that seems unlikely, but at this point nothing is impossible.
Both Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. have talked about the possibility of returning to their iconic Marvel roles, and both seem willing, assuming it’s done in a way that makes sense. It seems the actors and Feige are on the same page in that regard, so if a way in is found, we could see these returns happen.
The future of the MCU is something of a question as the next Avengers movie(s) lost their original director. The rumor is the Russo Brothers may be coming back to helm the new films. With a big Marvel panel at SDCC this weekend, and Disney's own D23 event coming up in a couple of weeks, we may get clarification on just what the future looks like very soon.
