Yes and No – Robert Downey Jr. plays coy on his return for Iron Man 4

If you know how mysterious and talented an actor Robert Downey Jr. is, then it shouldn’t be a surprise that the guy who rose to stardom and became forever associated with the name “Iron Man” is now playing the guessing game with fans as to whether or not he’ll be returning for another individual solo flick as his armored avenger alter ego. We even weighed down reasons why he SHOULD return, and now it seems the actor likes to keep the fans at bay with teases on what he’ll be doing next.

During an appearance at The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the man who plays Tony Stark –  the eccentric billionaire playboy and genius inventor behind the Iron Man suits seemingly confirmed that he was going to be back for another Iron Man sequel. In the short clip from that guest appearance, Ellen managed to get RDJ to say an “Ok, Yes” to the possibility of a return appearance for a fourth Iron Man film, after the latter mentioned that there were a bunch of Marvel films already in the works.

But later on during his appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, RDJ went on to say that there WERE NO PLANS for a fourth Iron Man, but maybe something else entirely altogether.

So what direction exactly are Marvel Studios and Robert Downey Jr. going with in terms of featuring Iron Man once more in another solo venture outside of the Avengers? That’s certainly the big question, and something that the actor and the studio is keeping a well-guarded secret. RDJ is contracted and set to return as Tony Stark/ Iron Man for Avengers: Age of Ultron next year and on the Avengers 3 on 2018, so there’ll be two more appearances for fans to catch the armored avenger once more. However, these interviews, as well as RDJ wanting his buddy Mel Gibson or Howard Stern to direct a “Iron Man 4” should it ever happen is keeping everyone guessing. Only time will tell for sure, as well as an official announcement, on whether we’ll be seeing Tony Stark in more films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Robert Downey Jr. will return as Iron Man in Avengers: Age of Ultron in May 1, 2015.