In May 2013, Robert Downey Jr.’s contract with Marvel Studios was up and many contemplated the actor’s future as the armored Avenger known as Iron Man. The story of Tony Stark seemed to wrap up nicely with ‘Iron Man 3,’ but naturally there was room to continue if that’s what all parties were looking to do. So when all was said and done, RDJ signed on for ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and ‘The Avengers 3’. However, despite Kevin Feige’s comments about more Iron Man being evergreen and more movies featuring the character in the future, there was no word about the beloved Hollywood veteran reprising the role after a third film assembling Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Right before the release of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ earlier this year, talk about a fourth Iron Man movie surfaced again. Those rumors about the end of Downey’s tenure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe made their rounds once more, but there wasn’t really much to report from them. It was just the same old speculation. Now, with the star making his rounds in Toronto for his latest film ‘The Judge,’ conversations are bound to start up again because he touched on his future as the iconic genius/billionaire/playboy/philanthropist.

While speaking to Variety, Downey derailed any notion that Marvel intends to further develop their solo Iron Man story for now. Before joking with co-star Robert Duvall that he likes the idea that the media or fans have where he would or wouldn’t “let” someone play Tony Stark in the future, he bluntly laid it all out on the table:

“There isn’t one in the pipe. No, there’s no plan for a fourth ‘Iron Man.’”

With Marvel Studios laying out plans until 2019 (but not officially announcing much of them yet), that pretty much means that Iron Man will be kept out of the spotlight for at least five years besides the third Avengers movie. Not that it’s a bad thing. Just look at how much Spider-Man we’ve gotten in the past ten years. Judging by the fans’ reaction to ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2,’ audiences might be getting sick of the web-slinger. Obviously, that’s something that Marvel wouldn’t want to happen to Iron Man, so maybe they’re taking the proper plan of action by not planning for ‘Iron Man 4’ right away. Plus, they’ll have their hands plenty full with new franchises like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ ‘Ant-Man,’ and ‘Doctor Strange’ to keep them busy.

What do you think about Robert Downey Jr.’s comments about the future of Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Are you glad to hear that the studio is giving the Armored Avenger a bit of a break? Or do you want as much Tony Stark as possible? Let us know in the comment section.