Robert Downey Jr. will reportedly return as Iron Man for Disney+. But, it may not quite be in the way you think. As fans know, Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark had a pretty conclusive ending for his story in Avengers: Endgame. Well, thanks to Disney+’s animated series, Marvel’s What If…?, you may not have heard the last of Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.
To recap, What If…? will feature 23 episodes, which works out to an installment per MCU movie released to date. Just another exciting original to look forward to on Disney+! According to Jeff Goldblum, who plays Grandmaster in the MCU, Robert Downey Jr. will give voice to Iron Man again in an episode! Here is what Goldblum told BuzzFeed Celeb:
I went to the Disney studios and I recorded the Grandmaster's voice for an episode of a show that's gonna be on Disney+ called "What If...?" where it's an animated version of all the characters we know and love from Marvel. And this episode included the Grandmaster and Iron Man, so Robert Downey will do a voice in that, and Korg, Taika Waititi had already recorded his voice for that.
To understand how Grandmaster and Iron Man may end up connecting in an episode, you may need to know what the Disney+ show is about. Each installment of What If…? will feature the changing of a major plot point from each movie. It is unclear what movie this Grandmaster/Iron Man episode will involve.
As far as the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes, Jeff Goldblum has played Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok and appeared very briefly in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 end credits, where he did a bit of fancy dancing. It will be interesting to learn how his and Iron Man/Tony Stark's paths will intersect in the What If…? episode. I can't wait to see how an altered plot point from one of the MCU movies will lead to this meeting!
Apparently, Robert Downey Jr. talking about distancing himself from Iron Man and the MCU may not mean he is done forever. How great is that potential news? Fans will reportedly get the chance to hear him voice Tony Stark again! I think that part of what has made Downey Jr.’s performance as Tony such a standout is his vocal styling, so this would be a great thing!
It will be a while before fans get a chance to potentially hear Robert Downey Jr. voicing Iron Man. Marvel’s What If…? is not set to premiere until the summer of 2021. A time that is getting closer but is nevertheless quite a bit into the future. Unless you can time travel. In which case, it will be a lot shorter of a wait.
There is other Iron Man news to help keep you preoccupied in the meantime. For instance, Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Tony Stark on a vocal level comes after a significant MCU rumor. That one indicated that Downey Jr. may appear in the upcoming Black Widow solo movie. Fans will have to keep an eye out to see what comes of that.
Disney+’s What If…? has already gotten some considerable buzz behind it. Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige teased the series as “incredibly liberating” to CinemaBlend’s Sean O’ Connell. It is definitely going to be a treat for fans who enjoy considering a twist or two when it comes to a familiar story.
In case you need a refresher, Marvel’s What If…? is set to premiere on Disney+ in summer 2021. While you wait for Robert Downey Jr.’s reported return as Iron Man for Disney+, be sure to check out this fall’s premieres.
