Iron Man 2 hasn’t even hit theatres yet, but star Robert Downey Jr. is already teasing fans with vague promises of a third installment in the super-powered franchise.

Speaking to MTV news before the premiere of the new sequel, Downey Jr. had a pretty confident answer when he was asked if a third film is likely. “I think it’s going to go down,” said the man who should know better than most.

Downey Jr. plays playboy billionaire Tony Stark – and of course his steel-domed alter-ego Iron Man, one of Marvel Comics’ most popular and enduring heroes. The first film in the series, released in 2008, was the second highest grossing movie of the year.

But Downey Jr. may well suit up again before Iron Man 3 even goes into production. The star has played coy about his involvement in the upcoming Avengers, but is widely expected to star in that film as well given Iron Man’s history with the super-group. Downey Jr. even confirmed to MTV that Avengers is “supposedly first on [Marvel's] docket.”

The actor believes there are many more stories to be told about Tony Stark and his metal suit stemming from his decades of comic book adventures. In fact, he compares the hero to his other recent character, Victorian sleuth Sherlock Holmes.

“It’s all there,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a bunch of different storylines from different decades. I always feel, just like with ‘Sherlock,’ you’re not going to do any better than you will looking back at [Arthur Conan] Doyle’s stories.”

(Photo by PR Photos)

Story provided by the Dish Information Corporation