Robert Downey Jr. Says He Would 'Happily' Play Iron Man Again in the MCU: 'That Role Chose Me'

"Never, ever bet against [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige. It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win," Downey also told 'Esquire'

Will we see more of Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man in the future? Maybe — but it's all in Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige's hands.

"I always say, Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige," Downey, 59, said in a cover interview for the April/May issue of Esquire. "It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win."

The newly minted Oscar winner starred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first film, 2008's Iron Man, and reprised the billionaire playboy/philanthropist/tech-genius/superhero Tony Stark in nine more movies, ending with the character's death in Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Asked whether he'd return to the MCU as Tony/Iron Man — who, as fans know, sacrifices himself to save the world from supervillain Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Endgame — Downey said, "Happily. It’s too integral a part of my DNA. That role chose me."

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Related: Jon Favreau Used Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow's Real Banter in Iron Man: 'I Would Take Notes' (Exclusive)

Earlier this year, Downey chatted with Rob Lowe for the latter's Literally! podcast, where he opened up about how despite thinking he "did some of the best work I will ever do," in the MCU, "it went a little bit unnoticed because of the genre."

Specifically talking about why his badly reviewed 2020 film Dolittle "didn't work," the Oppenheimer actor went on to say he "did myself a favor" with Dolittle.

As Downey explained, that "because the rug was pulled so definitively out from underneath me and all the things that I was leaning on as opposed to what my understanding of confidence and security was, boy did they evaporate. And it rendered me teachable."

"And the crazy thing is they say when the student is ready, the [Christopher] Nolan will come," he added of his Oppenheimer director, 53. "I mean, the teacher will come. And that's what happened."

In a January interview with W Magazine for its Best Performances issue, Downey said there have been only "three times" during his career "where I became completely obsessed with the prep and/or the possibility of playing a role" — one of those three being Tony Stark.

Related: Robert Downey Jr. Reflects on His Hollywood Journey After Oscar Win: 'There Are Ways to Heal' (Exclusive)

Despite his appreciation for and dedication to the character, Feige, 50, said in December 2023 that Downey's chapter as Iron Man is remaining closed.

“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” he told Vanity Fair when asked if Downey would return to the role in the MCU.

“We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way," Feige added.

Regardless of whether he will ever revisit Tony Stark, Downey is celebrating a huge career achievement after nabbing his first-ever Oscar in March, in the Best Supporting Actor category, for his performance as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer.

And he's nowhere near the finish line. “I got a couple other tricks up my sleeve,” Downey quipped to PEOPLE following his big win.

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