The future of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man has been in question for some time, as the actor has made it clear that he doesn’t want to overstay his welcome as the character. Now, Mark Wahlberg is throwing his hat in the ring to take over as Tony Stark, saying he’d like to pick up the franchise when Downey Jr. is done.

Wahlberg said that although he doesn’t get asked to play superheroes, probably because he likes playing real people, Iron Man is a character he’d be interested in. Furthermore, he also reveals that he was once considered for another iconic comic book character.

Check out what he had to say below.

“I would like to take over the ‘Iron Man’ franchise for Robert Downey, [but] it’s one of those things where I kind of like playing real people, [so] I’ve never been asked. Once I was kind of being talked about for the Robin role in ‘Batman [Forever] — somebody dodged a bullet!”

In June, Downey Jr. signed an extension to play the character in Avengers: Age Of Ultron and The Avengers 3, but after that the future is unknown. Not that there necessarily needs to be more Iron Man after that, as taking a superhero past six appearances is something that only Hugh Jackman has done in recent memory, but if the demand is still there, you can be sure Marvel is going to find a way to get Iron Man to the big screen.

That being said, I don’t think Wahlberg is the best choice. Don’t me wrong, Marky Mark is one of my absolute favorite actors of all time. From Fear to The Fighter he’s been a treat to watch in every single movie, but Iron Man has a distinct set of cocky mannerisms that I just can’t see Wahlberg matching. Then again, Downey Jr. is just about perfect as the character, meaning whoever takes his place would be following a nearly impossible act, so why not let Wahlberg try? He’s a talented actor, and I’m sure he could create an enjoyable version of the character, though it would likely be quite different from Downey’s.

What do you think of Mark Wahlberg as Iron Man? Is there a superhero you’d rather see him play? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.