Robert Downey Jr. signs for ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming,’ surprising no one

In a move that will surprise no one after they see Captain America: Civil War, Robert Downey Jr. has evidently closed his deal to make an appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

I hope he spends his entire time onscreen hitting on Aunt May.

Right now, casting is underway for all the roles in Sony”s new Spider-Man film, and it”s been interesting so far. They”re definitely not trying to fill every role with a giant movie star when they”re making announcements about Zendaya, Tony Revolori, and Laura Harrier. Hopefully, what they”re doing is finding the right people, regardless of how well known they are.

In Civil War, it is Tony Stark who first reaches out to Peter Parker to bring him into the larger world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it makes perfect sense that Tony would make an appearance in the first solo film for this incarnation of the character. I”m very excited to see how Jon Watt”s film handles the character and where it picks up with Peter. Tom Holland is perfectly cast as both halves of the character, and his rapport with Robert Downey Jr. is a big part of what sold me on him.

After all, if there”s any actor who personifies the MCU, it”s Downey. His first Iron Man film was the  movie that started the current cycle of films, and Tony Stark is in many ways the center of this movie universe, as we see again in Civil War and some of the choices that drive the heroes apart in that film.

No word yet on how much Downey to expect in the film, but if the one scene in Civil War where he”s in Peter”s apartment is any indication of what we can expect, it should be pure gold when it happens.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is in theaters July 7, 2017.