Robert Downey, Jr. rules out Marvel Cinematic Universe return

Robert Downey, Jr. will never return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The actor has appeared as Tony Stark in the MCU since 2008's Iron Man, and enjoyed his 'swan song' in last year's Avengers: Endgame - the highest grossing movie of all time.

Responding to rumours that his character might make an appearance in the upcoming Black Widow film starring Scarlett Johansson - despite Iron Man having died in Avengers: Endgame - the star told the SmartLess podcast it was unlikely.

During the chat with actors Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, Robert shared his thoughts on the future of the character, as he was asked, "I'm assuming that the Marvel thing is at a slower speed now, or are you done with that now?," and replied, "That's all done."

Back in January, he told Extra that there was no going back to the iconic character.

"As far as I’m concerned, I hung up my guns and I’m good to let it go," he shared.

Black Widow is currently due for release on 28 October, with the film set to revisit Johansson's character, Natasha Romanoff, in between 2016 instalment Captain America: Civil War and 2018's Avengers: Infinity War.

Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and David Harbour also star in the forthcoming film, which is directed by Cate Shortland.