Robert Downey Jr. to Cameo on Marvel’s ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’ TV Series?

Now that Marvel's 'Iron Man 3' appears to have made all the money, it seems even more assured that ABC will look to capitalize on its Marvel connection by greenlighting Joss Whedon's 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' pilot to series in the coming weeks. Fans have been abuzz that Marvel movie characters would appear on the series since day one, but has Robert Downey Jr. officially confirmed his appearance? What other characters might the series feature going forward?

As if it weren't practically assured already, Marvel's 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' pilot will soon announce its potential pickup when ABC unveils its Upfront presentation in the coming weeks. And with 'Iron Man 3's' official destruction of the box office this past weekend, fans naturally wonder if the next time they see Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark might take place on a smaller screen, sooner than any of Marvel's upcoming sequels.

Via EW, we've learned that Robert Downey Jr.'s ongoing renegotiation with Marvel might lend itself to a cameo on the 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' TV series, as the actor teased “You know what? There’s no telling. I am open to everything.” Joss Whedon and Marvel head Kevin Feige have previously emphasized that 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' will focus on its "little guy" approach to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that isn't to say an appearance from Tony Stark would be out of the question.

Feige also teased the possibility of reintroducing Marvel heroes whose rights recently returned to the fold, namely that of the Punisher, Ghost Rider, Daredevil and Blade.

If that works the way everyone expects it to work I think that would open up another avenue, another outlet for some of those characters. Maybe they guest star, I don’t know. I think they’re avoiding the cameo of the week on that show, which is very smart.

Marvel’s ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ TV series features a cast that includes Clark Gregg’s resurrected Agent Phil Coulson, as well as Whedon vet J. August Richards,  ‘ER’ doc Ming-Na, Chloe Bennet, Brett Dalton, Elizabeth Henstridge and Iain De Caestecker as the other agents of the team. Nick Fury himself, Samuel L. Jackson previously stated that he expected to be involved in some small capacity, while ‘How I Met Your Mother‘ and ‘The Avengers‘ star Cobie Smulders remains open to the possibility as well.

Well, what say you? Could 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' find a place for Tony Stark without compromising its approach to the Marvel universe? What characters do you think would fit well into the series, if ABC gives a green light? Hit the comments with your 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' hopes below!