Gwyneth Paltrow’s Instagram segment “Ask Gwyneth” has achieved its own sort of lore amongst her fans. In the first iteration, the actress was questioned by one user “Do you lick ass Gwyneth? Xx,” to which she responded, “Not generally, no,” and it only got wilder from there.
Much to our delight, Paltrow brought back the series on Wednesday. And while, this time, things were a bit more family friendly than the last, she did answer one fan’s burning question about her future in the Marvel universe concerning her role as Pepper Potts.
“I’m asking this every time answer the question why did you stop with Marvel and do you miss [Robert Downey Jr.?],” they asked.
“Oh my god, stop yelling at me!” Paltrow replied. “We just stopped doing it because Iron Man died. And, why do you need Pepper Potts without Iron Man? I don’t know. Call up Marvel and yell at them, not me. I’m just sitting here.”
Paltrow debuted as Potts, the love interest of Tony Stark/Iron Man, first in 2008 with Iron Man. She later reprised her role in Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Paltrow’s last foray into the MCU came in the latter film, where, coincidentally Iron Man died (played by her co-star Robert Downey Jr.)
Though Potts survived the film, Paltrow reasonably feels that her character feels unnecessary without Iron Man in the fold. While she did not answer if she misses RDJ, she did suggest that the fan in question “Call up Marvel and yell at them.”
Paltrow hasn’t completely shut the door on a return in the past, however, it is entirely unlikely we’ll see her as Potts again. “I mean, I’m a bit old to be in a suit and all that at this point,” the actress told Variety in 2019. “I feel very lucky that I did it, because I actually got talked into it. I was friends with [Iron Man director] Jon Favreau. It was such a wonderful experience making the first Iron Man and then to watch how important it has become to fans.”
In a more recent Goop podcast, with fellow Marvel-alum Scarlett Johansson, the actress stated that she is most likely done with the superhero series, but left things open-ended in a very Paltrow way. “I mean, I didn’t die so they can always ask me.”