MCU Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, most known for their work on Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame, are open to Tony Stark/ Iron Man returning to the franchise if it’s done well. The last time fans saw the beloved character, brought to life masterfully by Robert Downey Jr., was when he gave his life to save half of the universe from Thanos.

Downey has been a central figure to the MCU, kicking off the revolutionary cinematic universe with Iron Man and starring in 10 total movies. Fans were sad to see him go even if meant the character’s arc ending naturally. Discussing the subject, the Russo’s had this to say on their interview with the Reel Blend podcast: “I mean look, certainly we’ve always said this and we believe this about stakes have to be real, and if they’re not real, like the audience’s emotional investment in the moment and in those characters in the narrative is only…is contingent upon them feeling like there’s potential, there’s something to be lost.”

The Marvel Cinematic universe has previously faced criticism for a lack of stakes in their movies, with happy endings and lack of important character deaths being a fixture of the films. The Russo’s aren’t apposed to using Downey again, but don’t want it to undermine his death, which has long been a problem in most superhero films.