Robert Downey Jr. Might Not Be Iron Man Anymore; Tumblr Weeps.

In a bit of news that isn't too shocking, Robert Downey Jr, who is now most commonly associated with why every fat nerd grows a really gross looking moustache, sat down with GQ Magazine recently, and adressed that his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Avenger films might come to an end soon.

Adressing an injury he sustained while filming this summer's anticipated Iron Man 3, Downey said:

It got me thinking about how big the message from your cosmic sponsor needs to be before you pick it up. How many genre movies can I do? How many follow-ups to a successful follow-up are actually fun?

The almost 50 year old veteran actor then told GQ:

…Right now I don’t have a contract to do anything, and I did for the last five years.

It wouldn't be a shock to say Downey might be getting too old to dress up in armor and be stunted around as an action-star. Rumors have been flying for a while now about his retirement from the Marvel character which put him back into the public eye in a big way in 2008's Iron Man.

It's a guarantee at this point Downey will at least be on for The Avengers 2, which Joss Whedon recently stated will begin filming in February, aiming for a summer 2015 release. The question however, is what will happen to Tony Stark? I wouldn't put it past Whedon to kill the character, as the emotional stakes will need to be raised somewhat when you're dealing with a near invincible super-hero group, and recasting would be a pain in the ass for all involved. Only time will tell though.