Robert Downey Jr. Is Officially Returning As Marvel's Iron Man, But There's A Twist

Marvel Studios can't help but make things complicated when it comes to Robert Downey Jr.'s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The latest development will see the beloved actor once again don the armor after having left the MCU behind with 2019's "Avengers: Endgame." But this return isn't quite what most fans were expecting.

Those fans have been on a bit of a roller coaster in the last few years. First, they were heartbroken to see the character that helped establish the MCU and change Hollywood forever, Iron Man, perish at the end of "Endgame." Then, they were even more dismayed to see what happened to that shared universe in the post-Tony Stark age, as Marvel began to pump out a mediocre run of streaming shows and movies. So excessive was this cavalcade of unremarkable MCU "content" that it nearly spelled the end for what had previously been the biggest blockbuster franchise in Hollywood history. Then came a savior: Ryan Reynolds. Or more specifically, his movie "Deadpool & Wolverine," which crossed $1 billion at the global box office and proved there was life in the MCU yet.

But following the debut of "Deadpool & Wolverine," Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige had yet another treat for beleaguered MCU fans: the return of Tony Stark himself. At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Feige and company revealed that Downey would return to the cinematic universe he'd been so integral to founding. Fans were jubilant. Then, they sort of weren't. Unfortunately, the news of RDJ's return was somewhat marred by the fact that he wasn't coming back as Tony Stark/Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom.

Now, just to make things even more confusing, there's yet another announcement regarding Downey and his Iron Man return — and this one's even more of a tease.

Robert Downey Jr. is back as Iron Man, but only for rides at Disney theme parks. Two weeks after we learned the actor will play Doctor Doom in the MCU proper, we've now learned that RDJ will also suit up as the de facto patriarch of Marvel's shared universe, but not for an actual MCU movie. As Polygon reports, Downey will play Iron Man in new attractions at Disney's Avengers Campus, located in Avengers Land at the California Adventure park in Anaheim.

Following the reveal of new "Ironheart" footage and a look at the upcoming "Daredevil: Born Again," Disney used its 2024 D23 Expo to announce that RDJ would be lending his talents to its California theme park. Experiences chairman Josh D'Amaro spoke about the company's plan to double the size of Avengers Land in the coming years, and RDJ's return is a key part of this plan: He'll appear in two new "Avengers"-themed rides.

The first of these, "Stark Flight Lab," takes visitors on a tour of the Stark lab, using robot arms to whisk them through the facility. The tour guide for this indoor experience? Downey's Tony Stark, of course. Next up is "Avengers Infinity Defense," which was described by Disney portfolio executive creative director Scott Trowbridge (via Entertainment Weekly) as a ride in which "global technology has gone missing and now King Thanos is using it to wreak havoc across multiple worlds." The story will see the Avengers assemble to do battle with Thanos and his army across famous MCU locales including Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City. RDJ's Iron Man will be one of the heroes involved.

So, not quite the news some MCU fans were likely hoping for. But either way, Robert Downey Jr. will be back in the Iron Man armor once again — though when exactly these rides will debut remains unclear. Disney didn't provide a date for the rides' openings and only confirmed that construction is set to start in early 2025, before showing off some concept art for the new attractions, which you can see above.

Evidently, Downey has already been on-hand to test out the Stark Flight Plan pods, as a photo of him seated in the prototype was revealed on stage at D23. Meanwhile, many fans will no doubt be wondering what kind of nightmarish de-aging CGI is on the table for RDJ and his Avengers Land appearances.

Here's Bob Iger and Robert Downey Jr. trying the upcoming Avengers Campus at DCA Attraction: Stark Flight Lab. RDJ will reprise his role as Iron Man for the Attraction. #D23 pic.twitter.com/FW1Hjq6eWz

— DLP Report (@DLPReport) August 11, 2024

So far, the California Adventure attraction has just two rides: "Web Slingers" and "Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission Breakout." Both opened following a pandemic-induced delay and failed to give Avengers Land the grand opening Disney was anticipating. But using Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark will no doubt go a long way to reversing the attractions' fortunes, even if it isn't quite the grand return for Tony Stark we'd been hoping for.