Robert Downey Jr. Officially Returns As Tony Stark After 7 Years

Image via Everett Collection Published Aug 16, 2026, 10:11 AM EDT Andy Behbakht has worked as an entertainment journalist since 2010, covering all the latest in Hollywood on both the big and small screens, from staying on top of the biggest breaking news, analyzing movies and television shows in Hollywood, to in-depth interviews with actors and storytellers. Andy's career includes having worked for publications such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It's Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more. Outside of his career as an established reporter, Andy is the host and producer of The Showrunner Whisperer, The Flash Podcast, the editor-in-chief of Multiverse of Color, and the network director of DC TV Podcasts. Sign in to your ScreenRant account This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.Robert Downey Jr. is getting double the Marvel fun in 2026. One of the most highly anticipated films of the year is Avengers: Doomsday, as Downey Jr. is making his way back to the MCU timeline, but with a major catch. This time, he is taking on the role of the villainous Victor von Doom, a.k.a. Doctor Doom, serving as the main antagonist. However, At D23 2026, which ScreenRant is in attendance for, it was revealed that the Avengers Infinity Defense, set to open at Disney California Adventure in 2028, will feature Downey Jr. reprising his role as Tony Stark for the first time since Iron Man's death in Avengers: Endgame back in 2019. Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Anthony Mackie's Captain America are also set to be part of it. Check out the full video below with the stars in character: As Iron Man was the first hero to kick off the MCU franchise all the way back in 2008, this is bound to be a major deal for those visiting the Disney Parks once the Avengers Infinity Defense opens in 2028. Whether or not the next two Avengers movies will feature Downey Jr. as Tony in any capacity remains to be seen. Despite his sacrifice in 2019, Doomsday or even Secret Wars could bring Iron Man back through flashbacks, time travel, or variants. However, as of writing, it has not been confirmed if either film will have Downey Jr. in dual roles. Stark Industries · R&D Division The Official Iron ManArmor Quiz 🔨OriginsMark I 🤖ArmorsSuit up ⚡TechPower 🎥FilmsMCU 💫Legacy3000 SUIT UP! → 01 Tony Stark first built the Iron Man armor while being held captive by terrorists, using scrap materials to escape. In the MCU, where was Tony Stark held captive when he built the Mark I armor? ASiberia BA cave in Afghanistan CA HYDRA base DA Stark Industries lab ✓ Correct! Tony Stark was captured by the Ten Rings terrorist group and held in a cave in Afghanistan. With the help of fellow captive Ho Yinsen, Tony built the Mark I armor from missile parts and scrap metal to blast his way to freedom — the moment that changed everything. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is a cave in Afghanistan. Tony was captured by the Ten Rings while demonstrating the Jericho missile. Using scrap materials and sheer genius, he and Ho Yinsen built the Mark I suit to escape captivity. NEXT → 02 The Iron Man suit is powered by a revolutionary energy source that Tony Stark miniaturized and implanted in his own chest. What is this power source called? ATesseract Core BVibranium Reactor CThe Arc Reactor DRepulsor Engine ✓ Correct! The Arc Reactor is the iconic glowing circle in Tony Stark’s chest. Originally built to keep shrapnel from reaching his heart, Tony miniaturized the technology and used it to power increasingly advanced Iron Man suits. It became his defining symbol — proof that Tony Stark has a heart. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is the Arc Reactor. The Tesseract is an Infinity Stone, Vibranium is a rare metal from Wakanda, and Repulsor Engine isn’t a real MCU term. The Arc Reactor is Tony’s revolutionary clean energy source that powers the Iron Man suits. NEXT → 03 Tony Stark has built dozens of specialized Iron Man armors throughout the comics. One famous armor was designed specifically to fight the Hulk, featuring massive size and additional power. What is this armor commonly called? AWar Machine BThe Hulkbuster (Veronica) CThe Extremis Armor DThe Bleeding Edge ✓ Correct! The Hulkbuster armor, codenamed “Veronica” in the MCU, is a massive modular suit designed to go toe-to-toe with the Hulk. First appearing in the comics in Iron Man #304, it became a fan-favorite after its epic deployment in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is the Hulkbuster (Veronica). War Machine is Rhodey’s suit, the Extremis armor integrated with Tony’s biology, and the Bleeding Edge uses nanotechnology. The Hulkbuster is the giant armor built specifically to contain the Hulk. NEXT → 04 In the MCU, Tony Stark’s AI assistant helps him operate the Iron Man suit and manage his life. The original AI was replaced after being used to create Vision. What was the name of Tony’s original AI assistant? AFRIDAY BJARVIS CKAREN DEDITH ✓ Correct! J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System) was Tony’s loyal AI companion voiced by Paul Bettany. After JARVIS was used as the basis for Vision in Age of Ultron, Tony replaced him with FRIDAY. JARVIS was more than software — he was Tony’s most trusted ally. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is JARVIS. FRIDAY replaced JARVIS after Age of Ultron, KAREN is the AI in Spider-Man’s suit, and EDITH (Even Dead I’m The Hero) is the glasses-based system Tony left to Peter Parker. JARVIS was the original and most iconic AI assistant. NEXT → 05 In the comics, the Extremis armor was a revolutionary upgrade that integrated the Iron Man suit directly with Tony Stark’s biology. What did Extremis allow Tony to do that previous armors couldn’t? AFly faster than light BStore the armor inside his body and control it with his mind CBecome invisible DTravel through time ✓ Correct! The Extremis storyline by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov fundamentally changed Iron Man. By injecting a modified techno-organic virus, Tony could store the armor’s undersheath inside his body and mentally summon and control the suit. It blurred the line between man and machine. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is storing the armor inside his body and controlling it with his mind. Extremis rewrote Tony’s biology to interface directly with technology, allowing him to store the suit’s inner layers in his bones and control everything through thought alone. NEXT → 06 Tony Stark isn’t the only person to wear the Iron Man armor. In Marvel Comics, a young genius took over the Iron Man legacy. Who is this character who became Ironheart? APepper Potts BRiri Williams CShuri DKamala Khan ✓ Correct! Riri Williams is a teenage super-genius from Chicago who reverse-engineered her own Iron Man suit in her MIT dorm room. Tony Stark himself endorsed her, and she took on the name Ironheart. Dominique Thorne portrays Riri in the MCU, debuting in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is Riri Williams. Pepper Potts wore the Rescue armor, Shuri is Black Panther’s sister from Wakanda, and Kamala Khan is Ms. Marvel. Riri Williams is the brilliant young engineer who built her own suit and became Ironheart. NEXT → 07 In Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat Thanos using a nano-tech version of the Infinity Gauntlet. What were Tony Stark’s final words before snapping his fingers? A“Avengers assemble” B“I love you 3000” C“And I… am… Iron Man” D“Whatever it takes” ✓ Correct! “And I… am… Iron Man” perfectly bookended the MCU’s greatest arc. Just as Tony Stark launched the entire franchise by declaring “I am Iron Man” in 2008, he closed it with the same words as he snapped Thanos and his army out of existence, sacrificing himself to save the universe. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is “And I… am… Iron Man.” “Avengers assemble” was Cap’s rallying cry, “I love you 3000” was his daughter Morgan’s phrase, and “Whatever it takes” was the Avengers’ time-heist motto. Tony’s final snap callback to his iconic self-introduction was cinema perfection. NEXT → 08 James Rhodes (Rhodey) is Tony Stark’s best friend and wears his own version of the Iron Man armor as a military-focused hero. What is Rhodey’s superhero name? ASteel Soldier BIron Patriot CWar Machine DBoth B and C (he has used both names) ✓ Correct! Rhodey has used both names throughout his career. He’s most commonly known as War Machine, his original heavily-armed identity. In Iron Man 3 and briefly in the comics, the armor was rebranded as Iron Patriot with a red, white, and blue paint job for government PR purposes. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is both — Rhodey has used both War Machine and Iron Patriot. War Machine is his primary identity with heavy weaponry, while Iron Patriot was a government-approved rebrand seen in Iron Man 3. Steel Soldier is not a real Marvel name. REVEAL MY SCORE → Armor Diagnostic Complete Your Stark Industries Clearance / 8 Are you the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist — or just the intern? ↻ REBOOT THE SUIT Developing... First Film Iron Man First TV Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Created by Kevin Feige Movie(s) Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, ​The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, Werewolf by Night, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, The Punisher: One Last Kill TV Show(s) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Inhumans, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If...?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Agatha All Along, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Wonder Man, Echo, Marvel Zombies, Eyes of Wakanda Cast Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors