I always think bringing back dead characters in films and TV shows is a cheap move. It lessens the impact of their death and makes it hard to invest in their future. Once you know they can be brought back, the fear of them dying again is lost because you know they’re probably not really dead.
I liken it to playing a video game with an invincibility cheat code on (remember those?). You just don’t get the same experience because you know there are no real consequences for the choices you make.
I used to watch Supernatural (TV series) but I ditched it after season 4 for this exact reason. I got tired of the brothers dying at the end of a season only to be brought back at the beginning of the next through some kind of hocus pocus. I lost all investment in the characters and their ongoing plight.
A few years ago Robert Downey Jr. appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast and was asked if he thought the door was still open for him to return as Iron Man. He gave his answer in this clip and it’s nice to see he feels the same way I do.
Tony Stark’s death scene in Avengers: Endgame (sorry for the spoilers but come on, the movie’s 5 years old now) was so emotional, and added so much weight to the story that to bring him back now would make his sacrifice seem cheap.
Ever since dramatically bowing out of the MCU at the end of Avengers: Endgame (2019) along with Chris Evans' Steve Rogers/Captain America there have been rumours of RDJ returning as Iron Man, particularly over the past twelve months or so (god knows they could do with his help in restoring it back to its former glory). However, he’s either refuted the claims or simply avoided confirming them.
In December last year Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that he wouldn’t be asking RDJ to return to the franchise because he wants to preserve Tony Stark’s emotional ending. He said, “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
Iron Man (2008) is my favourite Marvel movie and Iron Man/Tony Stark is my favourite character in the MCU. When he left, the franchise suffered a serious blow, and it's no secret that with the exception of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) none of the movies released since Endgame have had half the impact of those that came before it.
Were Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans and their respective characters the glue that held the MCU together, and more importantly, can it survive without them?
However they decide to more forward with the franchise, personally I think they should let Tony Stark enjoy his eternal rest.
What do you think? Would you welcome the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man or would you feel cheated?
Let me know in the comments.