Downey Jr. and Paltrow starred together in all three Iron Man films, which helped establish the foundation of the MCU. Paltrow played Pepper Potts, the devoted partner and eventually the wife of Downey Jr.'s character Tony Stark. Downey Jr. recalled a moment when Paltrow confused actor Tom Holland with his character, Peter Parker. He teased her by reminding her that she had filmed four movies with him.
Despite the friendly jabs, Downey Jr. praised Paltrow for her talent and humility. He said she has remarkable vision and noted that he was the one who convinced her to return to acting for the first Iron Man film in 2007. At the time, she was balancing motherhood and building her lifestyle brand Goop, after years of receiving major awards for her work in film.
Paltrow ultimately appeared in seven Marvel films between the original Iron Man in 2008 and Avengers: Endgame in 2019. However, even as one of the early members of the MCU, she has often admitted she does not track every movie or every character. She once forgot she had a role in Spider-Man: Homecoming and did not realize Samuel L. Jackson's character Nick Fury was part of the same universe.
In 2023, she jokingly asked her Instagram followers to stop scolding her about a potential return to the franchise. She explained that Pepper Potts' story felt complete to her after Iron Man's death and that she did not see an obvious reason for the character to appear again.
Downey Jr. is set to return to the MCU in 2026 in Avengers: Doomsday, where he will portray the villain Doctor Doom. Meanwhile, Paltrow has not committed to future acting roles. She said she has not agreed to anything after her upcoming film Marty Supreme and remains undecided about returning as Pepper Potts.
