No matter what anybody tells you, the truth of the matter is that Iron Man was pretty much a B-list character before 2008. Granted, he began to take on more prominence in the comic book world around that time thanks to arcs such as Civil War and Avengers Disassembled, but many of you will no doubt remember the X-Men were cock of the walk at Marvel for the longest time – especially in the 1990’s.
But when Robert Downey Jr. helped bring Tony Stark to the big screen, everything changed, with old Shellhead becoming a household name overnight and eventually becoming the unofficial face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, aside from completing his own trilogy of films and appearing in various team-up flicks, Downey can most recently be seen playing a mentor-like role in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Now, the real litmus test for the character’s enduring popularity will be how audiences at large receive the next actor to take on the role, but before then, the fan favorite wants to make sure that all is well before he even considers passing the torch.
In fact, he said just as much when speaking with ABC News in a recent interview to promote Homecoming.
“It’s like with a team if you’re going to hang up your jersey, you want to make sure the team is in good shape and they can still compete at a high level, because ultimately that’s what made the whole thing worth doing anyways.”
Still, we shouldn’t count on him bouncing anytime soon when recalling his recent comments stating that he’d like to stick around as long as the stories are still up to par. So, if he keeps on having as much fun as he did with Spidey, we expect him to make good on his word.
“I genuinely had a blast. I just love Spider-Man so to me being able to participate in reintroducing Spider-Man to a new generation or giving kind of a really back to, that’s why it’s called homecoming.”
Spider-Man: Homecoming opens in theaters this Friday, July 7.