Robert Downey Jr. Joins 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'
Robert Downey Jr. Pascal Le Segretain/WireImage
Marvel's Shell-head is looking to join Marvel's Web-head.
It looks like the team-up of Spider-Man and Iron Man seen in
Captain America: Civil Warwon’t be the duo’s last.
Robert Downey Jr., who plays the red and gold-armored Marvel character, has closed a deal to join the cast of
Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel and Sony’s reboot of the web-crawling superhero, sources tell THR.
Tom Holland will star as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and is making his debut as the character in
Civil War (and already garnering praise for his take on the role).
The movie establishes a key relationship between Tony Stark/Iron Man and Parker and
Homecoming will continue that thread.
Homecoming has been casting up ahead of its June start of production. Marisa Tomei will play Aunt May, while Zendaya is one of the female leads. Tony Revolori, who starred opposite Ralph Fiennes in
The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Laura Harrier, who appeared in the soap opera
One Life to Live, are also boarding the project.
Sony has held the rights to Spider-Man since the 1990s but its recent outings with the character proved unpopular with fans and critics, despite relatively strong box office. Meanwhile, Marvel built itself up as a movie studio, requiring the rights of many of the characters it had licensed out in the 1990s, and then was bought by Disney. Spider-Man was one of a handful that eluded them.
Last year, Sony execs invited Marvel to come in and handle the character, in an effort to restore him to his former glory. One of the ways Marvel is doing that is by introducing Holland as Spider-Man in
Civil War before he goes on to his own movie series.
But with Downey’s boarding, it appears that Marvel will continue to keep Spider-Man close not just creatively but also literally; Tony Stark/Iron Man appearing in
Homecoming keeps the Sony’s movies strongly tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Downey and his industrialist hero have been cornerstones of Marvel’s film slate even though unlike his other co-stars he has not signed the studio’s complicated multi-pic deals. His last renegotiation included him appearing in
Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and
Part 2, as well as
Civil War.
His appearance in
Homecoming required another round of talks and according to sources, a “hefty” deal. It is unclear whether that is to appear in just
Homecoming or subsequent installments.
so I can only imagine the uproar for a black Mary Jane. I think they'll play it safe. 
