Marvel Studios have confirmed that a deal has been reached with Robert Downey Jr. to star in The Avengers 2 and 3. Now everyone can breath easy. With The Avengers being so phenomenally successful and scoring such a big pay day for the actor and studio, it should be no surprise that he has agreed to two more feature films, particularly in the ensemble pictures where he is just one (albeit the marquee name) of a big cast and would require less screen time. Despite talk from the the actor, purposefully and smartly timed for Iron Man 3's release, that he was considering his future in these films, it clearly suited both parties for Robert Downey Jr. to appear in The Avengers sequels and at the end of the day, money usually talks. Interestingly though, there is no word yet on whether or not there will be another Iron Man 4. Marvel have not yet struck a deal with the actor for a fourth film and perhaps Downey Jr is hoping for a little rest from the solo franchise to pursue other opportunities (he's barely had time for other movies with the Sherlock Holmes series also frequently in his schedules) and leaving Iron Man 4 until much later in the decade. Or maybe a bit more money from Marvel's end will see the deal, or perhaps Kevin Feige hopes to put someone else in the suit for the next outing. Let's not forget Iron Man 3 is one of the biggest movies of all time, crossing that $1 billion mark and the series is gaining, rather than losing popularity steam. Nevertheless, for us as fans it means that we're definitely in for a treat for the next two Avengers outings at least as the main players stay in tact. The Avengers series just wouldn't be as fun without Tony Stark. Hopefully we'll hear more about the next Avengers film soon ahead of the production start next spring, for a release in 2015. We have a lot of reasons to be excited for the next movie, knowing Downey Jr. is on board for at least 2 more films is enough to make any fanboy excited. Me included.