To be honest, I’m not sure whether this is good news or not. Badass Digest is reporting that Marvel’s Kevin Feige is open to having an actor other than Robert Downey Jr. step into the shoes of Iron Man. Now, before you start to panic, this does not mean that Marvel is done with Downey Jr. Iron Man 3 is still gearing up to go into production and RDJ won’t be walking away from the role anytime soon.
That being said, the actor is pushing 50 and he won’t be able to play the part forever. And so, when it is time for him to step down, Feige is open to having someone else fill his shoes. He told Badass Digest that the role is interchangeable, kind of like the role of James Bond.
“I think Bond is a good example. Let’s put it this way: I hope Downey makes a lot of movies for us as Stark. If and when he doesn’t, and I’m still here making these movies, we don’t take him to Afghanistan and have him wounded again. I think we James Bond it.”
Of course, the question now is who they would have fill Downey’s shoes. The actor has done a fantastic job as Tony Stark/Iron Man and really, I can’t see anyone else playing the role. Hopefully he still has a few films left in him because once he departs, I don’t think the franchise will be the same.
What do you think? Which actor can take on the role of Iron Man once Downey Jr. departs?