It has been reported that Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., will be making an appearance in Sony’s forthcoming Spider Man reboot. The news comes on the heels of the announcement that Michael Keaton, who was in early talks to join the film as a villain, has stopped early talks and will not be part of the upcoming project.
While no reports have been made available concerning Downey’s exact involvement in Spider-Man: Homecoming, you can only assume that the most prized member of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe will have a fairly heavy impact on the story. It is also quite possible that over MCU players may be appearing in the film, which will be the third franchise reboot in less than fifteen years.
It should be noted that Homecoming will not be an origin story for the web slinger as Spider-Man is set to make his MCU debut next month in Captain America: Civil War. The way that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and billionaire Tony Stark interact will likely provide at least a few clues as to just how involved the veteran vigilante will be involved in the new film; though, based on the comics one might expect Stark to take up a fatherly figure with the young superhero.
Robert Downey Jr. has repeatedly said that he has no interest in an Iron Man 4, so his supporting presence in other projects might become the norm as Marvel works to sidestep genre fatigue. Capitain America: Civil War, which hits theaters on May 6, marks the beginning of Phase III of their highly lucrative (and somewhat complex) intertwining film universe.
Spider-Man: Homecoming co-stars Marisa Tomei, Zendaya, Tony Revolori, and Laura Harrier and is being directed by Jon Watts. With pre-production currently underway, the film is set to hit theaters on July 7, 2017.
