If reports are accurate, it could be that we've not seen the last of Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after all.
According to Deadline, as part of a larger a report from the 45th annual Saturn Awards – the celebration of the best sci-fi movies – the bombshell is merely dropped in as an aside that Iron Man/Tony Stark will turn up in the Black Widow standalone movie.
Robert Downey Jr won the Best Actor award for his role in Avengers: Endgame at the event, which took place on Friday night, after which it's then mentioned: “Downey will be seen in the role of Stark one more time, however, in the Marvel prequel Black Widow in May 2020.”
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According to Comicbook.com, Robert Downey Jr.’s involvement in the film may be limited to recycled deleted scene that was originally shot for Captain America: Civil War. The scene, which wasn’t made part of the DVD/Blu-ray extras but has been shown at Marvel events, shows Black Widow and Iron Man having a confrontation after the final battle of the film.
It's only previously been speculated that Downey Jr's Tony Stark could appear in the movie, being that it will take place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War.
So that means that Tony Stark is still very much alive, and very much still part of the Avengers, so it's entirely possible he could be around.
Yahoo Movies UK has reached out to Disney for a comment.
The likelihood is that it would be a small cameo role, but nonetheless, it’s still potentially a chance to see Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark on screen one more time.
Read more: Black Widow first look
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about the solo movie, Johansson said: “I feel like I'm in control of the destiny of this film, which gives me a lot more peace of mind.
“I know her better than anybody. What was her childhood like? What is her relationship to figures of authority? This character is gritty and multi-dimensional but has a lot of trauma and has led an unexamined life. In order to operate at this elite level, she has probably had to push away a lot of stuff.”
Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow will also star David Harbour, Florence Pugh and Rachel Weisz, and it's due for release on May 1, 2020.
