Could The MCU Resurrect Iron Man and Black Widow? Kevin Feige Doesn't Completely Rule It Out

Summary

• Reports have recently surfaced that Marvel Studios is discussing the possibility of reviving Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow.
• Studio president Kevin Feige denied the speculation, but left the door open for the actors to return.
• The original cast members could play the variants of their characters in Secret Wars.
• Feige also confirmed that work continues on the project with Johansson as producer.

Endgame hit us hard with the death of two original Avengers and the departure of the third. The loss of Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, and Chris Evans' Captain America seemed to be the beginning of the end for Marvel Studios, as ratings and box office for new projects began to fall, while the scathing reviews began to rise.

That's why it was so intriguing to hear reports that the studio was leading discussions about possibly reviving the beloved original superheroes in future installments of the Avengers franchise.

After all, the heroes are now dealing with the multiverse, and both Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson could return to play variants of their characters. However, Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige denied the reports in a recent interview with ET at the premiere of The Marvels.

'We did not discuss that and that is the truth,' Feige said. 'We're doing a project with Scarlett. I love Robert, he's part of the family. But in terms of returning, we'll have to see.'

Kevin Feige leaves door open

It's hard not to notice that while Feige dismissed speculation about any ongoing talks within the studio, he didn't completely rule out the possibility of both superheroes returning to the Avengers team in some capacity.

2027's Secret Wars is expected to be a huge multiversal event that will bring together the Avengers, members of the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and solo superheroes on one battlefield against the army of the Kangs.

It would be natural for some variants of Iron Man and Black Widow to find their way into the war. But it's clear that the studio is trying to keep the big news under wraps as long as possible so that people will flood theaters when the movie comes out.

Isn't the Scarlett Johansson project Feige is talking about another Black Widow movie?

Unfortunately, no. The project in question is some top secret movie or series that Johansson will be producing rather than starring in.

Not much else is known about it, but Feige's words certainly sound promising. Johansson also confirmed to ComicBook.com earlier this year that the project was still in the cards, but had been put on hold due to the Hollywood strikes.

Now that the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild have settled their contracts with the major studios, we can expect the project to move forward and perhaps some information about it to emerge soon.

Sources: Variety, X, ComicBook.com.