For months it has been rumored, semi-confirmed, and joked about on the junket circuit and late night talk show circuit, but now it is official: Robert Downey Jr. has signed on to co-star in Spider-Man: Homecoming!

Naturally he’ll be returning to play Tony Stark in the Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios production which Jon Watts (Cop Car) is directing from a screenplay by John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein (Horrible Bosses), with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige producing alongside Amy Pascal. Tom Holland, the latest actor to play Spider-Man, will make his first appearance as the superhero in next month’s Captain America: Civil War. The events of that film are expected to pay off in Homecoming.

In addition to Holland and Downey, the Homecoming cast also includes Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) as Peter Parker’s Aunt May and Zendaya in the role of Michelle. Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel) and Laura Harrier (One Life to Live) also recently signed on for supporting roles.

The relationship between Tony Stark and Peter Parker is bound to become an important one in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially in the wake of whatever happens in Civil War, and it will be fun to watch how it develops in Homecoming. Usually when Stark appears in an MCU movie he doesn’t come to the party without at least one Iron Man armor, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he suits up to assist Spidey at some point in Homecoming. Then again he could be sitting out the main action and playing more of a mentor role. Whatever path the makers of the latest Spider-Man movie choose to take with the Stark character, you can count me along for the ride.

The new Spider-Man opens on July 7, 2017. In the meantime, you can check out Spidey’s MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, which hits theaters on May 6, 2016.

[Source: THR]