In a tantalising ‘what could have been’ revelation, Deadpool & Wolverine co-writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese recently divulged that Robert Downey Jr. was almost set to make a comeback as Iron Man in the much-anticipated third Deadpool film. The duo shared the behind-the-scenes scoop in an interview with IndieWire.

Wernick and Reese confirmed that they had initially written a scene featuring both Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Downey as Iron Man. “We had wanted him to do a cameo. We had written that scene [to start] with Happy and Downey,” Wernick disclosed. The scene was crafted with the hope that Downey would reprise his iconic role alongside Favreau, rekindling the dynamic seen in earlier Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

“Ryan Reynolds wrote the scene with both of them, so in the hopes we could get Downey. But he also wanted Favreau, because they’re a great combo, and they were all in the scene together,” added Reese. The creative team was optimistic that Downey would agree to the cameo, buoyed by Reynolds’ persuasive charm. “Oh, Downey doesn’t say ‘no’ to Ryan Reynolds, does he? No one says no to Ryan Reynolds,” Wernick quipped.

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However, unknown to Wernick and Reese, Marvel had different plans for Downey: he was slated to portray Doctor Doom in an upcoming project. “Behind the scenes, we didn’t know about the Doctor Doom. And there’s no way he was going to do both,” Wernick explained.

Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Reese revealed that Downey’s role would have been akin to what was eventually shown. “It was a version of what you saw in the sense that he rejected Wade… It just had two guys instead of one,” he said.

While the cameo didn’t come to fruition, Reese acknowledged Marvel’s strategic choice. “I think Marvel had this ace in their hole, which is he’s about to come back in this different character. So, to have him be Tony Stark? Knowing that Doctor Doom was coming on the heels of that? It just didn’t make sense.”