Robert Downey Jr. to Join ‘Captain America 3′ - Updated!

After months of rumors on whether Robert Downey, Jr. would live on as Tony Stark past "Avengers 3," it appears the actor will be back as the Armored Avenger. And this time, he's going to war. Recently teasing his desire to work out a deal with Marvel Studios for a fourth "Iron Man" film, Robert Downey, Jr. has now reportedly reached a deal with the studio to appear in "Captain America 3." According to Variety, the movie will kick off the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of "Civil War," the popular comic book storyline by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven that led to the death of Captain America. The trade's report is chock full of unofficial behind the scenes details that will surely pique the interest of industry watchers and Marvel movie fans alike. Apparently, the studio had originally pitched Downey on a smaller cameo role in the picture only to see him push for a more sizable role close to his comic counterpart's status as leader of the Pro-Registration heroes in the "Security Vs. Civil Liberties" plot of the comic. Such a part would expand the actor's payday -- something that Marvel's notoriously budget-conscious chief executive Ike Perlmutter reportedly balked at. If Variety is to be believed, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has brokered a deal that keeps both parties happy while also bringing back "Captain America: The Winter Solider" star Chris Evans and directing team of Joe and Anthony Russo. If the "Civil War" story does kick off in "Cap 3," it will also initiate the next major phase of Marvel movies, tying in newer characters like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange while also extending the universe into "Avengers 4" and beyond. Perhaps has preamble to all this, Marvel today teased a new "Civil War" related series for 2015 -- trading on the originals plot that pits Cap and Iron Man against each other with Peter Parker in the middle. Could this also tease the rumored involvement of Sony's film version of Spider-Man in upcoming Marvel Studios movies? Only time will tell.