Will Robert Downey Jr. Return as Iron Man? Morbius Star Hopeful for MCU Crossover

By Richard Nebens Posted:
Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man return Morbius

In just a few days, Sony Pictures will be back in action with Jared Leto's Morbius, adding to the expanding narrative in its Spider-Man Universe. While early reviews ahead of its April 1 arrival aren't promising, this will be the first Marvel movie of 2022 before Marvel Studios returns in a big way with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Marvel Studios is already teasing a massive number of wild cameo appearances in its second solo Doctor Strange movie, taking what Spider-Man: No Way Home did and taking things to a whole new level. From Patrick Stewart's nearly confirmed comeback as Professor X to rumors of Robert Downey Jr. reprising Iron Man again, this Multiversal sequel is packed to the gills with excitement.

Downey's return, in particular, would be quite the shock when taking into account that he's already put in more than a decade of work as Tony Stark since 2008. Even so, the impact he made on superhero movies can't be measured, as he still comes up as someone current stars want to crossover with in the present day.

Morbius Star on Iron Man Crosover

Morbius, Avengers Crossover
Marvel

During a chat with Screen Rant, Morbius star Jared Leto expressed his hopes for a potential crossover with Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man.

When asked who he would like his character to interact with, Iron Man was at the top of the list before also mentioning Tom Hardy's Venom:

"Besides Robert Downey’s Iron Man, there are so many people that would be fantastic. But, of course, Venom would make a lot of sense. That would be fun."

Will RDJ Return as Iron Man?

This is certainly one of the tougher crossovers to imagine for various reasons, largely due to logistics right now since Sony's Spider-Man Universe remains separate from the MCU. Even if that changes in the future, which is definitely an option due to the use of the Multiverse, bringing Robert Downey Jr. back as Iron Man is a whole other conversation.

Rumors have pointed to RDJ potentially reprising the role in a Variant fashion in Doctor Strange 2, particularly after footage showed an Iron Man Variant in the film's Super Bowl spot in February. Downey hasn't commented on the news, and at the moment, staff and crew from various Marvel outlets are only chalking it up to rumors ahead of the film's release.

While Downey seems fairly happy to leave the Iron Man role behind, he's also admitted that he hasn't closed the door completely and could come back given the right circumstances.

As for a crossover with Morbius, the two characters don't have the most well-known interactions with each other in the comics, especially with Morbius largely being a Spider-Man antagonist. With so many variables in play, it's difficult to predict if Downey and Leto could ever meet on screen as their Marvel characters, but anything is surely possible.

Morbius is set to debut in theaters on April 1.

- About The Author: Richard Nebens
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.