“It’s totally cool if you take a picture with me. And I don’t want to see this on your MySpace page. Please, no gang signs. Just kidding, you can put it up…”
As any Marvel fan will tell you, that’s a quote from the original Iron Man movie, in which Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is knocked off his perch, imprisoned in the Middle East, and molded into the first true Avenger. Sorry, Cap.
Fast forward to 2018, and RDJ’s whip-smart hero has arguably become the beating heart (arc reactor?) of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one with enough star power to supercharge any film that tumbles off Marvel’s production line – just look at Spider-Man: Homecoming.
This time, though, Iron Man and the Avengers have a date with destiny – Thanos and his Black Order are closing in on planet Earth, and they’re about to instigate a full-blown Infinity War. On paper, it’s a calamitous event movie that will redraw the MCU as we know it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Downey Jr. and Co. can’t have a little fun along the way. Case in point:
This image, which was first brought to light via Reddit, sees Robert Downey Jr. standing alongside Jimmy Rich, a close friend and manager to Marvel’s genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist since as far back as 2008. In that decade, the two have collaborated on everything from Sherlock Holmes to The Avengers, but in four months’ time, RDJ and Rich will take things to Infinity War…and beyond.
We are, of course, referring to the so-far untitled Avengers 4, which will deliver the second, conclusive chapter in the Russo Brothers’ saga come 2019. There will naturally be some big-name casualties from Marvel’s titanic two-parter, but one staffer who’s already looking to the future is Jeremy Renner. Perhaps Hawkeye will receive a new lease of life when Avengers: Infinity War checks into theaters?
All will be revealed on May 4th, 2018. The four-month countdown has begun, people!
