Jeff Goldblum Confirms Robert Downey Jr. to Return to MCU in What If…? Series
Thor Ragnarok actor Jeff Goldblum, who played Grandmaster, recently confirmed Robert Downey Jr. will be returning to the MCU in the upcoming What If…? animated series.
Goldblum made the confirmation when he was asked by BuzzFeed Celeb if he would be returning to the role of Grandmaster in Thor: Love and Thunder.
First Golblum noted that he is in talks to reprise his role as Grandmaster. He stated:
“We are talking about it in fact, you know, I hope so. I love Taika Waititi. He’s a great director and a friend of mine. But I hope so.”
He would then note that he recorded a voice role as the Grandmaster for the What If…? series noting that Robert Downey Jr. will also be providing his voice for the series.
“I played the part again a couple of days ago. I went to the Disney Studios and I recorded the Grandmaster’s voice for an episode of a show that’s going to be on Disney+ called What If…?, where it’s an animated version of all the characters we know and love from Marvel. And this episode included the Grandmaster and Iron Man, so Robert Downey will do a voice in that. And Korg, Taika Waititi had already recorded his voice for that. I enjoyed it for a couple hours. I enjoyed doing that again. So, The Grandmaster as well.”
The What If…? series is getting heavy promotion from Marvel Studios with footage from a number of the episodes appearing on Disney+’s documentary titled “Expanding the Universe.”
https://youtu.be/qYvkut2JTfg
This apparent confirmation comes off a number of rumors that Robert Downey Jr. will appear in a number of upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe properties.
Related: Rumor: Robert Downey Jr. To Return for Ironheart Show on Disney+
Back in early September, rumors began swirling that he would appear in a rumored Ironheart show for Disney+. Those rumors specifically noted it would be primarily voice work similar to Paul Bettany’s J.A.R.V.I.S. before he became Vision.
A separate rumor indicated Downey Jr. could have a role in the upcoming Black Widow film. This rumor came from Deadine who reported, “Downey will be seen in the role of Stark one more time, however, in the Marvel prequel Black Widow in May 2020.” They did not reveal in what capacity his role would be.
However, earlier in September, Robert Downey Jr. seemingly indicated he was done with the role of Tony Stark. He told Digital Spy:
“We had to get off. We opted to, and knew it was part of the job to get off the bus while it rolled on to other destinations. There’s something very sobering about it. I’m glad he and I will be there to welcome others as they retire their jerseys.”
Do you think Robert Downey Jr. is returning to voice Tony Stark again? Or do you think they might reuse old clips?