"Iron Man 3" has been a solid box office success and resulting questions about "Iron Man 4" have started to arise.
No one knows for sure what will happen with the beloved franchise as Marvel heads into the fourth phase of its cinematic universe. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the continued perpetuation of the "Iron Man" series may not include actor Robert Downey Jr.
"I'd go start another one tomorrow, but it's not tomorrow," Downey told Entertainment Weekly about starting a fourth installment."
"And there are a lot of other considerations. But I also don't like the idea of leaving people hanging or leaving people in the lurch."
But the star actor did hint that it might be time to move on from the series.
"My intent is to launch another franchise, independent of any that I can even imagine right now," Downey said.
"My intent is to dominate the playing field for as long as I can, with my own challenges, with myself."
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently stated that he wants to continue to franchise the series even if Downey is not involved.
"Well, look, I don't think Robert will be playing this character for another 30 years, and I certainly hope the character stays in movies for the next 30 years -- just like James Bond. I would say before George Lazenby and Roger Moore, Sean Connery was James Bond," Feige told the Huffington Post.
"It will take a while to fill any shoes, whether it's filmmaker shoes or writer shoes or certainly actor shoes. I think Tony Stark is an interesting enough and rich enough character that he can persevere."
Feige also echoed the statement in a recent chat with EW.
"I believe there will be a fourth Iron Man film and a fifth and a sixth and a 10th and a 20th," he said.
"I see no reason why Tony Stark can't be as evergreen as James Bond. Or Batman for that matter. Or Spider-Man. I think Iron Man is a character just like that."
All of those characters, including Batman and Spider-Man, have been played by different actors.
Should the Iron Man franchise move on without Robert Downey Jr.? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
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