Robert Downey Jr. continues to tease the possibility of his beloved Tony Stark character returning in Iron Man 4, after it was believed that last year's Iron Man 3 was his last solo outing. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor vaguely hinted that Iron Man 4 may be in the cards.

"I'm sure we'll ride that thing. You've got to surf that all the way in to shore. I think I was at the forefront of something that was coming into being, and I think it has carried me as much as I have informed it. That's the healthy way to look at it. It's so easy to become inflated by the successes, but what they really are are long, strong trends. It's just another wave."

Marvel fans will still get to see Robert Downey Jr. play Tony Stark in next year's Avengers: Age of Ultron and The Avengers 3, but last month, the actor revealed that Marvel has "no plans" for Iron Man 4. That statement came just a few months after the actor revealed he was optimistic about Iron Man 4 happening some day.

The actor's contract with Marvel Studios expired after Iron Man 3, but he signed a new two-picture deal to return as Tony Stark for Avengers: Age of Ultron and The Avengers 3. If Iron Man 4 does happen, it will require the actor to forge a new deal with the studio.

Of course, none of this has been confirmed by Marvel Studios yet, so stay tuned as the back-and-forth saga of Iron Man 4 continues.