It’s no secret that Iron Man was an integral part of the MCU for many years, and the actor behind him isn’t shy about his desire and willingness to come back to the role.

It’s been no mystery that Robert Downey Jr. holds his time as Iron Man/Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in high regard. For over 10 years, the actor owned the role on the big screen, dipping his toes all over the multi-film project through cameos and supporting appearances. But after the character’s goodbye in ‘Avengers: Endgame’, many thought his return would never come.

But recently, Downey Jr. has been very vocal about his willingness and desire to return to the MCU, with his latest being an interview with Variety in which, alongside Jodie Foster, they were asked to talk about their lengthy careers. During the interview, the topic of his possible return as the founding hero of the MCU came up, and the actor lit up while gushing about the idea.

“It’s something that is in my DNA at crazy levels,” he said. “He’s probably the most “me” character I’ve ever played, although he’s much cooler than me. I have become surprisingly open-minded to this idea.”

While this is far from a confirmation, it is another step taken by the illustrious actor for a return to the big screen. How the character would return, however, is a complicated issue in an of itself: Iron Man sacrificed himself at the end of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to defeat Thanos and his armies by using the Infinity Stones, and ever since his absence has been a constant point for the many issues taking place in that world. From Spider-Man’s growth into a fully-fledged hero, now back to “ground-level” status, to the Avengers themselves seemingly missing and scattered all over the world.

There is no easy way to have the actor return without minimizing the impact of his previous appearances. Still, this is a world of magic, time travel, and multiversal conflict, so there are options to make it happen. It all falls on Kevin Feige’s decision of whether or not they choose to roll back their decision of his definitive exit or not, and with Avengers 5 already claiming the largest crossover in the history of the studio, the stage is set for it to actually happen.