Robert Downey Jr. says he'll 'happily' return to Marvel Cinematic Universe

It appears Robert Downey Jr. has rethought coming back to the role that started the career comeback that summited with his "Oppenheimer" Oscar win: Iron Man.

In a touching, wide-ranging interview with Esquire that began shortly after his nomination for the Academy Award-winning film, and summed up just after his win, Downey revealed that he would -- to use a turn of phrase he once used on "The Howard Stern Show" -- "put the jersey back on" and play once again for Marvel Studios.

When asked if he'd return as the self-described billionaire, genius, playboy philanthropist Tony Stark, Downey revealed, "Happily. It's too integral a part of my DNA. That role chose me. And look, I always say, never, ever bet against Kevin Feige. It is a losing bet. He's the house. He will always win."

Tony Stark sacrificed himself to snap away Thanos at the end of 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told Vanity Fair in December, "we would never want to magically undo it in any way."

Four years ago, Downey told "The Joe Rogan Show" that a return was "off the table."

"I feel like I've done all I could with that character," he said. "There'd have to be a super compelling argument in a series of events that made it obvious to it. But the other thing is, I want to do other stuff."

Downey first portrayed Tony Stark in "Iron Man" in 2008 and continued to play the character in "Iron Man 2" and "Iron Man 3."

He also played the superhero in "The Avengers" film in 2012, "Avengers: Age of Ultron" in 2015, "Avengers: Infinity War" in 2018, and "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019.

Downey is starring in the upcoming HBO series, "The Sympathizer," which will be released on April 14.

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