Fans are convinced Robert Downey Jr is returning to the MCU

The announcement of a new Marvel project has left some film fans convinced Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. will be making a comeback to the franchise.

Downey Jr. and Marvel go hand-in-hand for a lot of people, with the American actor having first appeared as Tony Stark in 2008's Iron Man before racking up credits in two sequels as well as numerous Avengers films.

His increasingly complex Iron Man suit made Stark many people's favourite superhero, but unfortunately all good things must come to an end, as was the case with Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame.

Downey Jr. left the franchise as his character died in the fight against Thanos, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe kept ploughing on without him as it launched into Phase 4.

The new phase is well and truly underway now, but Marvel threw fans a curveball when it was revealed that Armor Wars, which was originally announced as a series, would instead be made into a feature film.

Armor Wars has been described as an insight into what the MCU might look like if Stark Technology fell into the wrong hands, with Don Cheadle attached to lead the show.

A Marvel source cited by The Direct claims that the company decided to turn Armor Wars into a film because it's committed to 'getting the story told the right way', but the notion of the project being on the big screen has sparked speculation that it will warrant some big-screen stars.

With ‘Armor Wars’ being a movie that’s about Tony Stark’s technology getting put in the wrong hands I think it’s very possible we could see Tony return as an A.I. pic.twitter.com/Kzedz6xgLx

— Matt Ramos (@therealsupes) September 29, 2022

Fans quickly began sharing theories about the project, with one person suggesting Downey Jr. may be able to make a post-death comeback with the help of AI - something which, admittedly, would be very Tony Stark.

"Mark my words, Robert Downey Jr. will appear in this in some capacity as AI Tony Stark," one fan wrote on Twitter, while another speculated: "With ‘Armor Wars’ being a movie that’s about Tony Stark’s technology getting put in the wrong hands I think it’s very possible we could see Tony return as an A.I."

Mark my words, Robert Downey Jr. will appear in this in some capacity as AI Tony Stark.

— Luca Brasi's Farts (@DonQuixoteFace) September 29, 2022

A third fan agreed, writing: "There has to be a reason they upgraded this to a movie feature, and although I would normally rule this kind of thing out, the mere presence of [Downey Jr.] could have upped the stakes for this production."

Cheadle's attachment to the project adds another reason Stark could return, as his character James Rhodes was the superhero's best friend in the series.

UNILAD has reached out to Marvel for comment.

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