Kevin Feige on Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man Return: “It Can Be Done”

Kevin Feige recently disclosed his thoughts on the potential returns of Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Iron Man and Captain America, especially after Hugh Jackman’s comeback as Wolverine in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine.

The concept of the multiverse allows for various iterations of beloved characters, and the Marvel Studios head confirmed that these returns are indeed possible, provided “great care is taken” with their storylines.

“That’s the key, right? How do you do it in a way that maintains what has come before, and in a great way?” Feige explained in a recent interview with DiscussingFilm. “And we’ve been spending, you know, the last two-plus years figuring that out for Wolverine. So, what’s to come? We’ll see. We’re just proud that we, I think, have figured it out for Wolverine. I think Hugh’s appearance and starring role in [Deadpool & Wolverine] is a great sign that it can be done — if great care is taken.”

It’s important to remember that Downey and Evans both exited the MCU with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which notably featured the emotional death of Downey’s Iron Man/Tony Stark. Similarly, Jackman’s Logan/Wolverine made a major sacrifice at the end of 2017’s Logan. Despite this, Jackman found a way to bring his character back in the new Shawn Levy-directed movie without compromising the legacy of Logan.

Earlier this year, Feige shared with Empire magazine that he initially advised Jackman against reprising Wolverine. “I said, ‘Let me give you a piece of advice, Hugh. Don’t come back’,” Feige recalled. “‘You had the greatest ending in history with Logan. That’s not something we should undo.’”

However, Jackman eventually persuaded Feige by presenting a version of Wolverine that differs from his previous roles in the X-Men series. Jackman expressed his enthusiasm to Empire about the R-rated Disney superhero film, as it allows him to explore “different sides of Wolverine we haven’t seen before in the movies.”

Deadpool & Wolverine, also starring Ryan Reynolds, is set to hit theaters on July 26.

Source: DiscussingFilm, Empire