Robert Downey Jr. on How Many Times He'll Play Iron Man

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There's no denying that Robert Downey Jr. played a huge role in Marvel's success these last few years. His portrayal of Iron Man got fans excited for the future of superhero and comic book movies, and since the very first Iron Man film, the studio has pumped out one awesome movie after another. That streak is going to continue with their recently announced epic phase 3 line-up. Two of the most surprising announcements included Marvel's first female-led superhero film with Captain Marvel, and Black Panther, who will make his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War. In a recent interview with the actor, CBR asked asked him what it is like to be a part of the growing cinematic universe, and he said,

"It's great, and I love it. But being able to have Chadwick Boseman be announced for playing Black Panther, and that Marvel is going to have a female superhero – it's those things that it would have started creating an imbalance, I think, in just what's appropriate and right and feels like what the people deserve. And so I just think that Marvel has turned into this very kind of civilized, forward-thinking company, and it's just joyful to be a part of that." 

I'm sure the amount of money that he's making from it doesn't hurt either! It going to be really cool to see how all of these new upcoming films and characters tie together. In a separate interview with EW, the actor was asked how many more Marvel movies he is expected to do before he stops. He replied,

"You know, it may verge on double digits. But it will probably wind up being a little shy."

If you count Downey Jr.'s involvement with The Incredible Hulk and the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, he will have played Tony Stark/Iron Man seven times. If the actor appears in the two-part Avengers: Infinity War, that will bring the total Marvel films he is in to nine, which is just a little shy of double digits. Maybe his time in the Marvel cinematic universe will end after that. 

Boseman's Black Panther is scheduled for release on November 3rd, 2017 and Captain Marvel, which will feature Carol Danvers, is scheduled for release on July 6th, 2018. We'll get our first look at Boseman as Black Panther, though, in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.

When Robert Downey Jr. isn't hanging out at the DMV, he's usually either making movies or -- as was the case tonight -- accepting awards. ET's Brooke Anderson caught up with RDJ at the BAFTA Awards on Thursday, where he opened up about his future as Iron Man.