With “Avengers: Age of Ultron” closer to theaters than ever and the news that Spider-Man is making his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it’s never been a better time to be a Marvel fan. In a recent interview, the man who started it all, Robert Downey Jr., opened up about his work and what’s in store for the future of Tony Stark.

As many know, and the trailers have revealed, the upcoming sequel to Joss Whedon’s 2012 hit, “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” will feature Stark creating artificial intelligence out of a dormant computer program that’s left over from the alien invasion of the first movie. The A.I. becomes self-aware and morphs into the villain Ultron (James Spader). The film will focus heavily on Stark as he tries to deal with the Frankenstein monster he created.

“I just love the idea that he can have an impulse to do good that finds its way back and becomes something else. Every time you roll the dice with your own best thinking, regardless of your intention, these things take on a life of their own,” the actor told Empire Online. “Tony’s Ultron defense system is supposed to let everybody retire and, for a guy who’s still got a lot of p--- and vinegar - in ‘Iron Man 3,’ when we left him he was basically saying, ‘You know what, I don’t even need the suit. I’m just a badass.’”

The actor went on to discuss his character’s larger role in the MCU. When we find Stark in “Age of Ultron,” he’s living with his epiphany from “Ironman 3,” which is that he’s capable enough to fix the world without always having to suit up and punch bad guys. It seems as though the actor is hinting that Stark’s journey of self-discovery will take him to a place of pre-emptive strikes against villains. This is further evident by the teaser scene shown at Marvel’s big Phase 3 announcement in which Captain America (Chris Evans) lectures Stark about fighting wars before they start.

With three “Ironman” movies under his belt, Robert Downey Jr. won’t be getting another standalone movie in the MCU. His next appearance, after “Age of Ultron” will be in “Captain America: The Civil War.” The plotline will be based on a major Marvel comics crossover event in which Captain America and Ironman each lead a group of Marvel super heroes against one another over the Registration Act. In the comic book, amateur hero’s actions lead to a catastrophic event that gets many innocent people killed. The government decides that secret identities are to be a thing of the past and passes a law that forces super heroes to unmask themselves. Captain America leads the faction against registration and Stark leads the faction that’s for it.

Although the movie version of “The Civil War” won’t necessarily follow the comic plot directly, many are wondering if Robert Downey Jr.’s beloved character will go as villainous as his comic-book counterpart does.

“The clues are in Ultron about where we might find him next,” he revealed. “But what would it take for Tony to completely turn around everything he’s stood for, quote-unquote, because he was the right-wing guy who could still do his own thing.”

The 49-year-old actor wasn’t able to tease much more than that about the upcoming movie or his role in it. However, he did make sure to manage expectations about the size of his role in “Civil War.” He reminded readers that the movie will be a Steve Rogers story more than anything else and that Chris Evans will take the lead. Still, there is an implied value to the film’s title that fans will see Ironman and Captain America fight on screen, which is pretty exciting.

Both Evans and Downey Jr. can be seen next in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015. Meanwhile, “Captain America: Civil War” is scheduled to hit theaters the following year on May 6.

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