Though they serve everyone a fairly equal slice of the pie, previous Avengers films have typically given Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark what amounts to a leading role. He’s both the daddy and the poster boy for the MCU, after all. But what can we expect from Iron Man in Avengers: Infinity War, which is even more stuffed with characters than ever before? Well, let’s ask the man himself.
As part of their extensive coverage of the much-anticipated Marvel movie, EW caught up with Mr. Downey Jr. to talk about what Tony’s goals are in the pic. He doesn’t seem to be as active a superhero as he used to be, but will he still have as bold ideas for the future of the Avengers as he did in Age of Ultron and Civil War?
“Well, let’s compare him to me,” said RDJ. “If I was going to not be playing Tony for the next 10 years, I wouldn’t be doing it with no plan of what I would do instead. I don’t think Tony is idle, I think he is wondering … Look, when he tried to make a suit of armor around the world [in Avengers: Age of Ultron], that didn’t pan out so well. Now I think his goals are smaller.”
As for who Tony will be paired with for much of Infinity War, Downey Jr. went on to speak about his dynamic with his best Science Bro Mark Ruffalo AKA Bruce Banner in the movie. He also hinted at his newfound partnership with Benedicts Cumberbatch and Wong, as Doctor Strange and Wong, respectively, something that’s already been teased in the trailers we’ve seen so far.
“I love how Cumberbatch just comes in and kind of draws flaming circles anywhere and can basically step into your movie. That’s fun. And we wanted to keep a little bit of the Science Bros thing alive, even though Ruffalo has been on such an amazing Banner/Hulk journey himself. I really, really, really enjoyed getting to know and work with and play around with Benedict as Strange. Benedict Wong also, by the way is fantastic.”
Finally, Downey Jr. was pressed for any info on whether Infinity War and Avengers 4 would spell the end of the line for his historic MCU career. He wouldn’t give anything away, of course, but the actor did say that he was a “hang up your jersey” before the fans “boo you off the court” kind of person – which sounds pretty ominous to us.
Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters worldwide on April 27th.