For anyone caught up with the back-and-forth on whether Robert Downey Jr. is going to film an "Iron Man 4," here's something else to add to the mix — Downey Jr. will be playing Iron Man ... but in "Captain America 3."
At least according to Variety, which says the actor is in the final stages of signing a deal to appear on screen next to Captain America, something which would bring Marvel's "Civil War" comic series to the silver screen. (Video via NBC / "The Tonight Show")
For the uninitiated, the "Civil War" series ran from 2006 to 2007 and pitted Marvel superheroes against each other after the United States passed a law requiring all heroes to register with the government. (Video via YouTube / MarvelExplained)
Most notable of the heroes fighting against each other? Captain America, who's against the new law, and Iron Man, who is for it.
In what's either a pretty far-fetched coincidence or Marvel hinting at what's to come, the comic juggernaut teased a "Civil War" comic reboot the same day Variety's article was published.
According to Variety, Marvel originally wanted Downey Jr. to play a smaller role in a third "Captain America" movie. But he insisted playing bigger role. It was then Marvel decided to write Iron Man out of the script entirely. (Video via Paramount Pictures / 'Iron Man 3')
It took Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige to convince them a bigger role played by Downey Jr. could not only be spun out into another "Avengers" movie but also help introduce new characters.
Entertainment Weekly says recent attempts made by Marvel to team up with Sony Pictures on doing something with Spider Man also add strength to the idea that "Captain America 3" will be doing something with the "Civil War" story since the web-slinger is another central character in the comics. (Video via Walt Disney Studios / 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier')
For a writer at Forbes, an "Iron Man v. Captain America" movie is bound to be a bigger hit than Warner Bros' upcoming "Batman v. Superman" movie simply because of how many times each character has appeared on the big screen recently. (Video via Walt Disney Studios / 'The Avengers')
"This is Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man that we (by 2016) will have spent eight years with pitted against Chris Evans’s Captain America whom we have been following for five years in a film that turns Marvel’s flagship hero into a villain. You don’t get more 'added value element' than that, folks."
Downey Jr will reportedly be making a hefty $40 million from signing on to be in "Captain America 3."
This video includes images from Getty Images and music from Kevin MacLeod / CC BY 3.0.
