Despite Iron Man 3 seeming to bring a natural close to the solo Iron Man films, Robert Downey Jr. has made some comments that have sparked speculation that he may yet star in a fourth film.

“It’s down to Kevin [Feige] and Ike [Perlmutter, CEO of Marvel Entertainment] and Disney to come to us with what the proposal is, and that’s on us to agree or disagree,” says Downey.

“When things are going great, there’s a lot of agreement. Right now, [Avengers 2] has just been swell, hasn’t it? This has been a really good one and it feels good and we’re having a good time.”

All of which sounds like it comes purely down to money, and whether Marvel are ready to ensure that the recently announced best–paid actor in Hollywood remains that way.

On top of that, there’s also the fact that the last film was not only extremely well reviewed but a massive box-office smash to boot. As Downey puts it, “Why give up the belt when it feels like you can barely get jabbed?”

Why indeed. In the meantime, Downey’s next outing in the metal suit will come with Avengers: Age Of Ultron, which opens in the UK on 24 April 2015.