Robert Downey Jr’s last solo outing as Tony Stark leapt to become the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time, and it appears plans are in the pipeline for the US superstar to appear in a fourth edition of the Iron Man franchise, although not until 2019.

The actor, who starred alongside British institution Sir Ben Kingsley and Rebecca Hall in 2013’s Iron Man 3, is reportedly in talks with Marvel, although producer Kevin Feige has said it will be at least five years before we see Stark solo again, despite the movie becoming Marvel’s biggest ever earner.

And that’s both onscreen and off it. The franchise has been a big hit when it comes to merchandise and other media, with the likes of video and online casino games being extremely popular, becoming major titles for the PlayStation as well as some of the most played slots online, whilst in terms of toys the hero has even starred in a version of Guess Who.

But after a six-year break will the world still want Iron Man, or is Marvel missing out on a chance to capitalise?

Well, the truth is we won’t actually miss him. Downey Jr is set to reprise his role in both Captain America: Civil War and next year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which will also star Luther’s Idris Elba, and Kick Ass actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

However, one question which is being is asked is will it be Downey Jr playing Stark over 10 years after his first appearance?

Both Spider-Man and Batman have both had recasting’s for recent movies, with Andrew Garfield working on his spider senses and Ben Affleck taking the reins from Christian Bale for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016.

Downey Jr has been very coy on the subject when posed with the question, admitting on The Ellen DeGeneres Show there would be another instalment, before denying it a day later on Letterman.

Whether or not it does happen, we’ve still plenty more time to see the 49-year-old as Iron Man over the next couple of years.