No matter what other roles he may take, the actor Robert Downey Jr. will always be associated with his iconic role as "Iron Man" in the larger Marvel movie franchise.

Ever since the actor mentioned the words "Iron Man 4" a few months ago, reports and speculations about the actor's role in the new film have been circulating non-stop.

Majority of fans are still hoping that Robert Downey Jr. will still be playing the role, but several reports have claimed that it may be difficult for the actor to once again portray the iconic "genius billionaire playboy philanthropist" superhero in future films due to various reasons.

Some fans believe that the actor's age may be a factor as the 51-year old actor may not be as capable as he used to be ten years ago.

Other reports have claimed that Robert Downey Jr. currently still has a lot on his plate aside from his roles in the Marvel movies. The actor himself has confirmed that he was, in fact, going to once be again playing the role of London's greatest detective in the upcoming sequel movie, "Sherlock Holmes 3."

Robert Downey Jr. previously confirmed that he was going to be immediately filming the new sequel after he finishes shooting his scenes for "Avengers: Infinity War."

Some reports have claimed that it might not be possible for the actor to divide his time in filming the new "Sherlock Holmes" movie and in working on a new "Iron Man" project.

As of the moment, fans have yet to accept the fact that Robert Downey Jr. may someday be replaced by a younger actor in future "Iron Man" films.

The "Iron Man" comic books — which the character is based on — have already moved on to a new character in the form of Riri Williams, who now dons Tony Stark's suit as the new Ironheart.

It isn't clear just yet if the film adaptations will follow suit, but for now fans can only wait and see if the actor will continue his role in future movies.