Avengers 2 Spoilers, Plot Rumors, and Iron Man 4 Cast News: Iron Man 4 With or Without Downey Jr

Iron Man 4 continues to be an uncertainty; mainly owing to doubts over Robert Downey Jr's return to the hit superhero franchise, as his contract with the producers has expired and is yet to be renewed.

What adds to the confusion, is that the actor has finished filming for Avengers 2: Age of Ultron as Iron Man, but no word has been established on whether he will reprise the role for Iron Man 4.

Meanwhile, Downey Jr. recently mentioned to fans via Facebook that he would be out of work in two days. In other words, he has completed shooting for his scenes in the Avengers sequel. At the same time, Joss Whendon, Avengers 2 director, informed fans through Twitter that filming for the movie is only partially complete.

Such discrepancy has only helped to give rise to rumors that fans might see Iron Man killed off in Avengers 2. However, this could mean several other things, it may denote that the character of Iron Man has been minimized in Avengers 2 or that Whendon has worked at a rapid pace with Downey Jr. to complete his part in the film.

A report on Movie Pilot said, "With Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver now banging around, not to mention a bigger badder foe, perhaps the Iron Man role- compared to the first film at least- has been slimmed down. Tony Stark was arguably the focus of the first installment so Whedon could equally have just decided it was someone else's turn."

Referring to the rumors that Iron Man would be killed off in Avengers 2, the Movie Pilot reported, "Its unbearable to think it but the unspeakable could still happen. Nothing has yet been confirmed for Iron Man 4 so could Whedon commit this cardinal sin and kill the most iconic MCU superhero off?"

Last year, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige remarked that Iron Man 4 will happen with or without Downey Jr.

Offering minimal closure about the issue to the fans, he said, "I believe there will be a fourth Iron Man film and a fifth and a sixth and a 10th and a 20th," adding, "I see no reason why Tony Stark can't be as evergreen as James Bond, or Batman for that matter, or Spider-Man. I think Iron Man is a character just like that."