Despite playing the role of Tony Stark in the MCU for 12 years, Downey Jr. isn’t shy of trolling Marvel Studios in public.

The relationship of Robert Downey Jr. with Marvel Studios is as old as the cinematic juggernaut itself, with the first Iron Man film paving the way for the creation of the MCU, which has led to the expansion of the cinematic universe as we know it. And in return for the success of the franchise, the company made the star an icon that started a revolution in the industry.

Thus, it always felt like both these entities had a mutual connection of love and respect for each other, and would remain that way for the foreseeable future. But with the star recently winning the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, he took a major dig at his character of Tony Stark from the MCU after Kevin Feige had earlier revealed how Iron Man will not be returning to the franchise.

Robert Downey Jr. Takes A Dig At Marvel Studios Despite Becoming An Icon After Playing Iron Man

Donning the suit of armor in the first film of the MCU was more than Robert Downey Jr. taking on another role in his career, it was trying to rebuild his career from the ground up. After playing the character for 12 years in the industry, the star stands atop Hollywood as the most revolutionary actor in recent history. Thus, one might think that Downey Jr. might be the utmost respectful when addressing his time spent with Marvel Studios.

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But during the acceptance of his Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in Oppenheimer at BAFTA 2024, he decided to slam the cinematic juggernaut and hold no punches back (via Men’s Journal). Here, while holding his award in hand, he talked about how playing that role had brought his credibility down despite earning him Millions and making him an icon. He said:

“I played a guy named Tony in the MCU for about 12 years, Recently, [Christopher Nolan] suggested I attempt an understated approach as a last-ditch effort to perhaps resurrect my dwindling credibility.”

People were quick to point out how ungrateful the Tropic Thunder actor was being to his most iconic role and the company, but it was just another friendly banter that the star is known for throwing, which might be after the fact Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed that Iron Man will remain a part of the MCU’s past.

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Kevin Feige Revealed Iron Man Will Not Return To The MCU In The Future

Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans in a still from Avengers: Endgame
Despite most fans believing that they would be able to see Downey Jr. returning as his iconic MCU character in the future thanks to the introduction of the Multiverse, Kevin Feige revealed in the past that this was nothing but false information.

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In a past interview with Vanity Fair, the head honcho of Marvel Studios revealed that they were never going to bring back the character in the franchise after the events of Avengers: Endgame,  saying:

“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again, We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”

While Iron Man may be out of the equation for the cinematic universe, there’s always hope of Downey Jr. returning to the franchise as another character somewhere down the line.