Robert Downey, Jr. shocked fans when he made some changes on his verified Instagram account – particularly the list of accounts he follows.
The actor, who’s known to be close friends with the OG Avengers, is now only following 43 accounts – and fans were quick to notice that none of his old Marvel co-stars made the cut.
Many went on Twitter to express their confusion.
“Would someone like to tell me WHY RDJ has decided to unfollow all the Marvel cast on Instagram,” one person wrote.
“I don’t know what’s happening Mr Stark… WHYYY DID YOUU UNFOLLOW THE MARVEL CAST ON INSTAGRAM?,” another tweeted.
“I wasn’t ready for RDJ to unfollow the whole Marvel cast, it’s like the end of an era,” a fan shared.
RDJ last appeared as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avenger: Endgame, which *spoiler alert* ended with him sacrificing himself in order to save the universe. While it seemed to bring his character’s story to conclusion in the franchise, many fans were still holding out hope that he might make a return in a future film.
But it appears there’s no reason for fans to panic. Per CNN, none of the 43 accounts he is currently following are actors but rather brands and organizations.
The unfollow doesn’t appear to be personal though. It’s believed that RDJ doesn’t even personally manage his social media account – many think his long-time assistant, Jimmy Rich, used to handle it until his passing earlier this year; and that his manager has now taken over. Some also speculate that he’s may be shifting the focus of his Instagram account to promote things he’s passionate about.
Besides, he still follows the whole cast on Twitter.
While RDJ’s social media move also confirms his exit from the MCU is still up for debate, Scarlett Johansson has confirmed that she has “no plans” to reprise her role as Natasha Romanov/Black Widow.
“I have no plans to return as Natasha,” Scarlett said in an interview with Fatherly.
“I feel really satisfied with this film,” she continued. “It feels like a great way to go out for this chapter of my Marvel identity.”
ScarJo previously mentioned that her standalone film, Black Widow, would be her last playing the role.
“I’ve had an incredible decade working with my Marvel family. I’m going to miss not seeing them every 18 months or two years, like those kind of milestones I always really look forward to,” Scarlett said on Good Morning America in June. “But I feel really proud of this film and I think it’s great to go out on a high note. This movie is so different from any other Marvel film that we’ve done so far, so yeah… like I said, it’s bittersweet.”
But fans can still hold on to hope of seeing Scarlett team up with MCU again – albeit, in another capacity.
“I would love to be able to continue to collaborate with Marvel in other ways because I think there’s just an incredible wealth of stories there,” she shared with Fatherly. “Re-imagining this genre is something that I find very interesting. I think there’s a lot of opportunities to tell these stories in different ways than audiences have come to expect.”
