There’s more than enough about this development to make anyone pull back and go ‘yeesh’ when thinking about how this could possibly turn out. It’s enough that Matt Joseph of We Got This Covered tends to think of Iron Man as a B-list hero that got lucky and was picked to start the MCU. A lot of people would claim that he’s been as B-list as it gets since the MCU was where he really got to shine and it’s hard to argue with, but then a lot of people tend to forget that Iron Man was one of the original members of the first Avengers team before everything started getting retconned to death and the comics continued to be ripped up and changed beyond belief. In any case, it doesn’t sound as thought Robert Downey Jr. is ruling out a return to the MCU for another run, but whether it’s because Dolittle doesn’t sound as though it’s doing too well or because he really wants to is kind of hard to say. It’s easy to think that he wants to keep making a big paycheck for as long as he can, which is sensible but kind of mercenary in a way since it implies more of a love of the money than the actual part that he’s been able to play that has inspired so many people around the world.
Unfortunately the kind of money he’s asking for is apparently greater than the base salary he made for Endgame, which was around $20 million, which means that he’s asking for a literal boatload of money to make what would likely be a lesser appearance since at this point in the MCU he would be reduced to an AI that has his intellect and obviously his personality as many people are thinking. His appearance in a possible TV show or movie would be lessened unless the script called for him to be more present, which means that the money he wants wouldn’t be easily justified even if he’s still one of the biggest draws that the MCU has to work with. One has to remember that he did help to start things off and that Iron Man opened up the Marvel universe to the big screen in ways that previous movies weren’t able to do since he started a tale that finally culminated in the final battle that took his life. His arc has been pretty impressive throughout the last decade, and bringing him back could be a touchy process that might excite fans to begin with but possibly reach too far unless he was given a set role that could see him play a mentor to whoever took on the mantle of Ironheart, hopefully Riri Williams. Dan Seddon of Digital Spy has more on this subject.
But asking for the kind of money he received for Endgame is a bit ludicrous for a TV show, especially since this might take up a good part of the budget. Is it really worth bringing him back on to draw people towards these shows with that kind of expenditure? There’s no doubt that Disney would find a way to justify it by some measure since the merchandising and the idea of still having RDJ on the roster would possibly be enough to keep revenue flowing in and make it worthwhile to meet his asking price. But it’s also feeling as though RDJ is seriously trying to milk the role for all he can when his part has already been played and he might be more of a secondary character moving forward. In the comics things still moved forward with Tony Stark serving a purpose to the new up and comers, but in the movies and in the TV shows that are coming along his role would undoubtedly be a lesser version of the character he’s already perfected. In a way he might actually play the Jarvis to Riri Williams’ character since it’s been seen in the comics that she’s quite the intelligent young woman. A lot of this is conjecture at the moment since nothing has been decided as far as bringing RDJ back, but seriously the cost of his services could be a massive hindrance or an eye-popping decision by Disney if they decide to agree just to have him back for the kind of attention he can bring while in character.
Then there’s idea of HOW to bring him back since there are plenty of theories about this that came out when Endgame was still in theaters, but there’s no definitive idea that’s been brought up as to how he would be re-introduced into the Marvel universe, outside of the comics that is. Jacob Stolworthy of the Independent has a few things to say about this matter. It’s easy to think that Tony Stark would download his entire consciousness into an AI that would allow him to ‘live’ on after he was gone, but as of yet the comics are about the only place we’ve seen this, and adapting such a thing to the MCU would require at least some explanation.
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