Will Robert Downey Jr. play Tony Stark in Iron Man 4? What about Chris Evans? Will he return for another solo outing as Captain America?

As Marvel steps firmly into Phase 3 of its Cinematic Universe with next week’s Doctor Strange, the question of what will happen with the studio’s biggest heroes is one that president Kevin Feige faces.

Luckily, it’s one he doesn’t have to think about – yet.

One option is Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark could mentor a younger actor to assume the Iron Man suit. In the current run of comics, the new Iron Man is a black woman and dubbed “Ironheart”.

Marvel could also recast and reboot the character in the 2020s (right now Downey Jr. will appear in next year’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and two Avengers movies in 2018 and 2019.)

“I think it could be either one,” Feige tells Postmedia Network. “These characters have been around for 50-plus years, and have been relatively ageless. Sometimes there are alternate stories where the character is younger than they usually are, or older, but they usually maintain a certain age. I think most of these characters that are iconic, like (James) Bond, like Batman, like Spider-Man, like Iron Man, someday will be portrayed by different actors. The good news right now is I don’t have to think about that for a long time.”

After Strange, Feige says fans can look forward to Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, the next Thor, Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel and much more. Marvel has a film slate that goes until 2023, Feige says.

“We have story-lines for this cast for many years to come.”

Twitter: @markhdaniell

MDaniell@postmedia.com