Robert Downey Jr.’s revival in Marvel is a subject that has not only been contented on several fronts but sorely criticized and judged. The arc broadly explored and engaged within the three phases comprising the Infinity Saga no longer finds a place in the coming future. And there is a sense of poetic closure in knowing that RDJ, the godfather of the Marvel universe, and his arc as Tony Stark – the one who laid down his life to save it – should end with Endgame.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Arc as Tony Stark Has Come to an End
In an io9 conference, the Marvel VP of Production and Development, Stephen Broussard characteristically claimed the one thing out loud that all Marvel fans dreaded but knew was inevitable. His conversation surrounding the future of the MCU and its currently unfolding Multiverse Saga is devoid of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark – in his original as well as variant form. According to Broussard,
“After these first 10 years of Marvel storytelling, torches are being passed, like with Robert Downey Jr. no longer being [on the] table and stuff like that. So it was kind of like a new generation stepping to the forefront which, again, has always happened in the comics.”
The created future we now find ourselves in ironically leads back to Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. In an epic chronology of events, the Avengers traveling back to the past, finding a way to set things right, and giving the universe another day to live and fight for, was all made possible because of the Time Heist, an event which would not have happened without Stark’s ingenious invention.
One would think that’s enough contribution from the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist for one saga within the MCU. But he also sacrificed himself at the end of it all to stop Thanos. Bringing RDJ back diminishes the grandeur of his arc that witnessed so much pain, tragedy, hope, optimism, love, and loss. That, in all logic and rationality, is the truth.
Robert Downey Jr. Needs to Remain Absent From the MCU
RDJ’s presence in the MCU has always been equivalent to parental stability. Throughout the films that have witnessed Tony Stark/Iron Man, all of the fights, the battles, the rebuilding, and the victories that he has been a part of – have always allowed the world to find its way back to safety. And in this future devoid of the raging, apocalyptic vision and ambition of Thanos, Tony Stark’s fight needs to come to rest. And the fandom seems to be coming to terms with the fact.
Unfortunately, the debate about Marvel’s progressive stance allowing more representation and discourse within its stories has allowed some among the fandom to associate the truth of RDJ’s martyrdom and his not coming back with criticisms of woke ideology.
This angle of the debate intentionally misses the point where RDJ’s absence is a matter of respecting the actor and his arc’s story. Bringing him back as a Variant in Secret Wars just works as pandering to mass appeal and a cameo that does nothing but take away the epic tragedy of Iron Man’s sacrifice for the sake of a 10-second cameo.
However, the other side of the debate also witnesses the fans raging from the inside out asking to let the actor come back. Since the Endgame era, the intermediary Marvel Phase Four arc has led to a study of how the CBM franchise has failed to remain relevant to the audience because of its extended arc stretching all the way back to 2008. This has also given rise to conversations about Marvel fatigue.
Moreover, this fatigue also seems to originate from the lack of the original six, especially RDJ and Chris Evans whose absence coincides perfectly with the degrading quality of the MCU projects. Putting two and two together leads to an understandable conclusion that has now made some among the fandom believe that Robert Downey Jr. coming back would also bring back the now lost quality to the MCU which once made Marvel the standing edifice of vision, grandeur, and glory.
The Iron Man trilogy and Avengers: Endgame are now available for streaming on DIsney+
