Having recently teased some of the possibilities for his AVENGERS ASSEMBLE sequel, writer/director/geek demigod Joss Whedon has been talking to Desde Hollywood about the film and the current Robert Downey Jr. pickle. Downey Jr. is now out of contract with Disney/Marvel and has hinted at being done with Tony Stark.

About Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Whedon said, “I am not the guy who has to worry about him being replaced. He is Iron Man at this point. When I heard that he was cast I knew that something had just changed, and I usually don’t know stuff like that. I was like ‘Now we are in a new phase.’ The way he embodies it… I love working with him. He is so perfect for it, Shane captures it so perfectly in this movie.”

Still talking about Downey Jr., Whedon then added, “I want him to play it forever. The great thing is that he has a flying metal suit. So it’s not like those Charles Bronson or Roger Moore movies where you’re like ‘Dude, you can barely stand.’ He’s got some fight in him. At the same time, if Robert decides to hang it up, he has a perfectly good excuse.”

With Thanos being shown at the end of AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, Whedon elaborated on the ‘big bad’ of the sequel. “Well, Thanos is so powerful, he is not someone you can just trot out and punch him. Like he did in the comics, you want him to be threading through the universe and to save the big finale for the big finale. He is definitely a part of what I’ve got going on. The thing about the Avengers is that they are very powerful, but they’re not very stable. So, there will definitely be some people that will shake them up in the next instalment.”

Early rumours also speculate that Thanos will get the better of Earth’s mightiest heroes in THE AVENGERS 2, with him then getting his comeuppance in a third film. Take that with a pinch of salt at this point, though.

At present, THE AVENGERS 2 is set for a 1st May, 2015 release.

You can find our rather awesome IRON MAN 3 review here.

Share your comments below or on Twitter @STARBURST_MAG

Find your local Starburst Magazine stockist HERE, or buy direct from us HERE. Our issues are also available as fully interactive iPad editions, loaded with multimedia, and can be downloaded via Apple HERE.

Click To Buy