Robert Downey Jr Teases A Big Announcement For Marvel

Yesterday, Robert Downey Jr. shared a new Iron Man character poster for Avengers: Age of Ultron via his personal Twitter account. Of course, Tony Stark is yet again without his helmet in the poster because you have to give the people the goods! He also teased a “big announcement.”

You’ve been good so here’s a new #IronMan poster from @Avengers. & on the DL, big announcement in 8 days… #getexcited pic.twitter.com/AdB1tTib7K

— Robert Downey Jr (@RobertDowneyJr) February 25, 2015

It’s pretty hard to keep something like this on the down low when you have nearly four million followers.

The internet was immediately flooded with speculation on what this announcement could be regarding. It seems clear that it has something to do with the Avengers and/or the Marvel Cinematic Universe in some way. Could it be our first real look at The Vision? Perhaps another trailer or an extended clip?

Here are some of the most popular theories that were posted:

Theory #1: Downey is Leaving the Role

Some fans have theorized that Downey will retire from the role after Captain America: Civil War. The hashtag #getexcited seems to indicate that this will be a positive announcement so this theory seems unlikely. When he first took on the role eight years ago, Downey stated in many interviews that he would play the role indefinitely. However, that was eight years ago and perhaps he has tired of it. Mark Wahlberg has expressed interest in taking over the role so perhaps he will be passing the torch to another actor. Marvel has re-casted several roles at this point, most notably Bruce Banner and James Rhodes. The entire Marvel Universe was born with the first Iron Man film and it’s hard to imagine it without Downey in it.

Theory #2: Another Iron Man Sequel

What seems more likely is that another Iron Man sequel is on the horizon. Civil War will likely present Stark as an antagonist since it’s presented from Steve Rogers’ point of view. Iron Man will likely need redemption afterwards depending on far his character goes to achieve his goals; not to mention the blemish on his record of being the creator of Ulton himself.

The third installment or Iron Man received mixed to negative reviews because the villains were a major disappointment. Iron Man’s ultimate nemesis, The Mandarin, has yet to be portrayed correctly on screen. Ben Kingsley’s version was reduced to poor comic relief when it had so much potential, but introducing a new Mandarin now may be confusing for the audience.

With the right story, fans would embrace another installment despite the misgivings of the other sequels. The world needs Tony Stark!

Theory #3: The Iron Spider

Sony and Marvel recently made a deal to bring Spider-Man into the MCU. Since Spider-Man plays a major role in the Civil War storyline, it has been speculated that the webslinger will make his first appearance in Age of Ultron, likely in a post-credits scene. Stark famously gives Spider-Man an enhanced armor in the comics similar in color to his own that provides Parker with enhanced technology to supplement his existing powers – dubbed The Iron Spider. Right now Civil War is set to come out in 2016 but it’s still in pre-production. Could they be integrating the new Spider-Man character in a more significant way for the film through re-writes? If this is indeed the case, we may have a casting announcement sooner rather than later and perhaps this is what Downey wants us to get excited about. The major flaw in this theory is that I just don’t seem them discussing plots details for Civil War until well after Age of Ultron is released.

Whatever it turns out to be, he’s certainly got our attention. If you haven’t been following Robert Downey Jr. on his Facebook or Twitter yet, it’s a good way to stay informed. He’s one of the 15 that we chose for celebrities to follow on social media and it’s clear why.