Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark is reportedly returning for Marvel’s Black Widow solo movie, and that could easily happen through previous deleted scenes. After starring in the Iron Man trilogy, all four Avengers movies, and two other Marvel movies, Robert Downey Jr. officially exited the MCU earlier this year, but it appears it might not be the end for the character.

Iron Man, who was the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for over ten years, finally met his end in Avengers: Endgame. To stop Thanos, Tony Stark donned a makeshift Infinity Gauntlet and used its power to erase Thanos and all of his minions. Unfortunately, Stark did not survive the process. A funeral, which brought together a huge gathering of superheroes, was held for Stark at the end of the movie. His death cast a shadow on Peter Parker’s story in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and it seems he may have a role to play in another MCU film.

It was assumed that, like Chris Evans’ Captain America, Robert Downey Jr. would not return to the role of Iron Man in any capacity, even in flashback form. And, despite a recent report, that may still be the case. There may be a way for Iron Man to appear in Black Widow without Marvel bringing in Robert Downey Jr. to film any actual scenes. Before the release of Captain America: Civil War, footage that was released at D23 and SDCC included scenes that didn’t make it into the final film. Some of these scenes were between Natasha Romanoff and Tony Stark, so Marvel Studios could repurpose that footage for the new film, since those scenes fall in line with when Black Widow takes place.

This unused footage could make it into Black Widow, and it wouldn’t be the first time that Marvel has recycled deleted scenes from a previous film into a new movie. This sort of editing tactic was necessary for a film like Avengers: Endgame, based on the nature of its time travel plot. By utilizing unused shots from Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Endgame was able to smoothly insert Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster into the story, even though Portman never stepped onto the set of Endgame.

Marvel can employ a similar tactic with Black Widow. Considering the film’s setting, Black Widow may be able to make perfect use of Natasha’s deleted scenes with Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War. The new movie takes place between Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, so Black Widow can provide a bridge between both movies and potentially shed some light on Black Widow’s Civil War story and Iron Man’s reaction to Black Widow’s betrayal.

More: How Iron Man Can Appear In Black Widow’s Movie (& Not Undermine Endgame)

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