As we noted last week, Robert Downey Jr.’s current Marvel contract only calls for one more appearance as Tony Stark, but he admitted to being involved in ongoing discussions with the studio to extend his deal. Today, Variety and THR confirmed the actor was in final negotiations to reprise the role, but not for another Iron Man film – instead, Downey will be joining the cast of Captain American 3, and according to sources, the film will be the launching point for a cinematic version of Civil War, one of the most popular Marvel storylines of all time.
For our readers who aren’t familiar with the original comic book story, here’s the rundown from Variety:
The new pact is significant for the Marvel cinematic universe considering the plot will pit Stark against Captain America’s alter-ego Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans, as they feud over the Superhero Registration Act, which forces anyone with superhuman abilities to reveal their identities to the U.S. government and agree to act as a police force for the authorities.
Stark supports the program, but Rogers does not, saying it threatens civil liberties, causing sides to be taken and Rogers, among others, to go on the run to avoid arrest. The moral question and battle with his Avengers teammate essentially makes Stark a villain of sorts in “Captain America 3,” providing Downey with a meaty role he could play out into future Marvel films, including a fourth “Avengers.”
Variety also reports on some behind-the-scenes turmoil that almost caused the deal to fall apart completely. Originally, the studio only wanted Downey for a small part in the film, which would have called for just a few weeks of shooting. Downey apparently balked and requested a larger role, which angered Marvel Entertainment chief Ike Perlmutter enough to demand that Iron Man be written out of the film completely.
But studio head Kevin Feige managed to smooth things over, as his vision calls for Captain America 3 and the introduction of the Civil War storyline to be the driving force behind the studio’s films for the next several years, including having major ramifications for Avengers 4. This also seems to tie into those rumors from last week that Avengers 3 would feature a new lineup, rather than the same group of heroes from the first two films. If Steve Rogers and Tony Stark are at odds, it makes sense that the core team would be disbanded.
#CivilWar #1 — Summer 2015 pic.twitter.com/o8732gL4lL
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) October 13, 2014
This news also comes hot on the heels of Marvel’s revelation that the Civil War comic series will be relaunched in Summer 2015, with the cover of Civil War #1 featuring Captain America and Iron Man, with Spider-Man caught in between. Spider-Man played a significant role in the original Civil War run, and while Marvel currently doesn’t own the film rights to the Spider-Man character, there have been rumors that the studio is working on ironing out a deal with Sony that would allow for Spidey to appear in upcoming Marvel films. Let the speculation begin.
Anthony and Joe Russo will return to direct Captain America 3, which is slated for release on May 6, 2016.
captain america 3 civil war featured marvel robert downey jr