A Marvel Studios executive has recently shut down, for good this time, any and all rumors of Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite the original six carrying the franchise out from the Marvel dark ages and into a wildly receptive world that unilaterally adopted and loved the CBM franchise, it is now time to move forward once again out of the past and into a more diverse era.
This essentially means that Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson’s dominion over Marvel has officially ended. And just as reality trudges on even in the shroud of tragedies and calamity, it is right to honor the legacy that MCU has created while also being willing to accept the future that lies ahead even in their absence and carry on with the narrative.
Marvel VP Speaks About Legacies and the Future of MCU
With rumors of Robert Downey Jr. and the Avengers’ return constantly plaguing the online platforms and chatrooms, the added disappointment felt while walking out of the theatres on February 17th was felt more drastically than ever. However, before these rumors can turn into hashtag movements and mass boycotts, the studio has taken its necessary precautionary measures. Marvel’s VP of Production and Development, Stephen Broussard, while speaking to io9 has recently claimed:
“Well, I think one of the meta-narratives of Phase Four was about new characters. It was about new people stepping into mantles. If you look at, like, Cassie [Lang in Quantumania] getting a suit and Kate Bishop [in Hawkeye], new characters being introduced like Jack in Werewolf by Night.
After these first 10 years of Marvel storytelling, torches are being passed, like with Robert Downey Jr. no longer being [on the] table and stuff like that. So it was kind of like a new generation stepping to the forefront which, again, has always happened in the comics.”
The aforesaid pattern has already been inspected in detail across the storyboard of the MCU Phase Four, with legacies stepping in to take up mantles that have not been passed over yet, including Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Love. The rise of Sam Wilson, Yelena Belova, Riri Williams aka Ironheart, and Shuri as the Black Panther, on the other hand, were necessities rather than another step in the plot’s progression.
Robert Downey Jr. is NOT Coming Back & That’s That
Robert Downey Jr. has quite literally built Marvel from the ground up with his sweat and tears. His legacy is unquestionable – something that has already been established with an undeniable finality. But it is humane to latch on to the things, the people, and the stories that we love. However, the generational passing of the baton is inevitable, even in a universe where time is fluid and the multiverse is a reality.
But the fan demand for Robert Downey Jr.’s return has increased as of late, especially given how the integral thread that earlier always bound the stories together is now missing from the MCU. The recent films feel disoriented and scattered all over the place with an every-man-for-himself motto guiding each plot toward the conclusion. After the epic disappointment served in the aftermath of Ant-Man 3, there has been an uptake in the need to see the original Avengers, quite literally arriving onscreen to avenge their universe’s sheer failure to deliver an acceptable story.
The current level of mass disappointment in the aftermath of a film doesn’t only reflect the missing nostalgia of the first saga’s build-up but also proves that Marvel cannot replicate the storytelling of its initial run in its attempt to treat its stories like experiments. Kevin Feige’s need to explore more possibilities with Phase Four should have ended with Phase Four and the authenticity of action, plot, storytelling, and ambition that was seen in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever should have set the tone for the Multiverse Saga.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is playing in theatres worldwide.
