Movies

Robert Downey Jr. admits how he's dealing with Iron Man's fate

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Published on January 15, 2020 03:52PM EST

Has the Marvel Cinematic Universe seen the last of Iron Man‘s Tony Stark? Robert Downey Jr., who played the role in multiple films teases, “I’m not sure.”

Downey spoke to Hoda Kotb Wednesday on NBC’s Today about the fate of his most famous character, who — spoiler alert — audiences saw die in the last summer’s Avengers: Endgame.

“A lot of folks were really heartbroken when Iron Man and Tony Stark went away. Were you heartbroken when the end came?” Kotb asked.

“Now that I’m middle-aged, to be honest, you start looking at the back nine and you go, ‘Oh, this is part of the journey as you…that things end.’ You know, everyone is going somewhere,” Downey replied.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME — ©Marvel Studios 2019

Kotb pressed on, asking the questions fans everywhere want to know: “Is it a true end, though? Because everyone keeps cracking a door open saying, ‘Maybe?’ Are you keeping it cracked open?”

“Those might be — what do they call it? — the stages of grief? I’m not sure. Are we in [the bargaining stage] now?” he joked. “I am so pleased, just that, I wound up where I have. I’m very fortunate so, I’m not the kind of guy who — I want to try to keep it classy. We’ll see.”

Watch the full exchange in the video below:

Anything is possible in the MCU, after all. Stark has come back from death in the past in the comics, and there are plenty of characters who have died only to be resurrected in other projects including Black Panther and Spider-Man, whose demise wasn’t truly uncovered until Endgame.

Until future plans are revealed, Downey has moved on to a new role: John Dolittle in the fantasy family film Dolittle, in theaters Jan. 17.

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