Marvel has announced that Robert Downey Jr. has officially signed on the dotted line to return for The Avengers 2 & 3. No word on the terms (you know, dollars and cents) of the deal but one can only imagine that it has to be somewhat lucrative given the $50M Downey pocketed via his Avengers profit participation deal.

Think about that one. $50M for one movie! How does that make you feel, Robert?

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Yeah, I’d be happy too…can you give us even a hint about how much you stand to bank from this new signing?

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Fair enough.

Obviously this is good news for Marvel Films and the Avengers franchise. There has been no word on any plans for an Iron Man 4, and if I had to guess, I’d say having Downey return for a solo IM film is a long shot at this point. The ending of Iron Man 3 was a good close to the trilogy, and to be honest I just don’t see the actor wanting to return for another standalone chapter, unless perhaps it’s to commit something compelling like the “Demon in a Bottle” comic story line to celluloid…but given Tony’s trials with and conquering of PTSD (going through a wormhole to deliver a nuclear payoff to an alien mothership can have that effect) in Iron Man 3, even that could be seen as a tiny bit of “been there, kinda done that.” As a fan, I’m content to see Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man play out the rest of his Marvel film days as part of an ensemble (but make no mistake, he’s still a big deal) in Avengers flicks. What’s your take?

Source: IGN