With IRON MAN 3 currently making massive money for Marvel, there’s been a lot of talk that Tony Stark’s adventure has come to an end. Robert Downey Jr.’s Marvel contract has expired, with the actor himself suggesting he’s ready to leave Stark behind. Adding to this, Gwyneth Paltrow has gone on record to say that she believes that IRON MAN 4 will not be happening. It seems as if Marvel have a different outlook.

With some thinking Downey Jr. was suggesting no more Stark purely as a leverage move for his contract negotiations, it seems as if Marvel are prepared to go on without the star. Reports suggest Downey Jr. cost Marvel $50 million for AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, with a similar fee being paid for IRON MAN 3. That’s certainly not cheap, and maybe Marvel are prepared to go with a cheaper option down the line. Either way, Marvel big cheese Kevin Feige is adamant that we’ll get an IRON MAN 4.

Speaking to EW, Feige said, “I believe there will be a fourth Iron Man film and a fifth and a sixth and a tenth and a twentieth. I see no reason why Tony Stark can’t be as evergreen as James Bond. Or Batman, for that matter. Or Spider-Man.”

Is this just a case of Marvel making it clear that Tony Stark is bigger than Robert Downey Jr.? I guess we’ll wait and see.

The problem that Marvel have is that they’ve created this image of Tony Stark that is Robert Downey Jr. The Marvel cinematic Stark is more Downey Jr. than Tony Stark, so how do you make that characterisation work when you take away the Downey Jr. part of the equation? Personally, I can’t see it coming to that and I think that we’ll be seeing a lot more of Downey Jr. as Ol’ Shellhead.

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