After one last valiant act, Iron Man departed from the Marvel Cinematic Universe after more than a decade of serving as its face. Rumor has it that that may not be the last time we see Tony Stark on the big screen, since he may have a cameo in the upcoming Black Widow film, purportedly set some years before the events of the last Avengers.
It's a rumor that actor Robert Downey Jr. seems to -- as expected -- refuse to confirm or deny. When he was asked directly by Entertainment Tonight about Iron Man would appear in the upcoming Marvel Studios film, Downey Jr. wittily said, "It'd be nice if they'd notified me... they can do anything now. This could be a deepfake interview for all we know!"
The Iron Man rumors began circulating back in September, when it was reported that Stark would cameo in Black Widow, but that it would be done using footage from 2016's Captain America: Civil War. It makes sense, since Black Widow is reportedly set not long after that film. Evidently, after turning against Stark's team, Natasha Romanoff was forced to flee, presumably leading her to a confrontation with demons from her past, which is what fans are likely to see in her solo movie.
The trailers confirm that the superspy's origins will be explored in some way -- with the presence of the Red Room and Yelena Belova -- but with answers like those that RDJ has provided, details surrounding Black Widow are generally scarce.
Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha, Florence Pugh stars as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei aka The Red Guardian and Rachel Weisz as Melina. The film opens on May 1, 2020.