Despite the fact that the last scene in Iron Man 2 (the one following the credits) set the stage for the next Marvel film, Thor, in a recent interview Jon Favreau has confirmed that Tony Stark and Iron Man won't make another film appearance until the Avengers hits theaters in 2012. Here's what he had to say:

"I'm not sure where The Avengers goes...There is no shooting draft written yet. It's gonna be a big undertaking for Marvel to actually incorporate what happened in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America [and] The Hulk. All that has to inform one unified vision in The Avengers. It's a very exciting prospect. And certainly, Tony Stark is not going to be involved in any of the movies until that one."

It's not really that long of a wait considering that the gap between Iron Man 1 and 2 were also 2 years, but I'm disappointed that we wont' see him in the other Marvel films.  His cameo in Incredible Hulk was fun and helped to really tie everything together and make it feel like they were all one universe (something that's sorely lacking in the DC films).

I guess Nick Fury (played excellently by Sam Jackson) will be the one to make those connections in the films now, as he's scheduled to make an appearance in Captain America and Thor.  But a main character making those appearances has far more impact and is way cooler on the geeky meter.  Regardless of how you feel on the matter, it looks like Tony Stark will be able to take a breather for a little bit.

-Jordan