After shattering box office records and debuting with the highest opening weekend gross ($207 million in the U.S. alone), The Avengers has been given the “go” for a sequel. This, according to Disney CEO, Bob Iger.

It’s probably a no-brainer, but a sequel to The Avengers was made official Tuesday by Disney CEO Bob Iger, who made the announcement during a conference call with analysts to discuss quarterly earnings.

Repeating previous announcements made by Marvel Studios, Iger said a third Iron Man and a second Thor are scheduled for 2013 and a sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger is in the works for 2014. He gave no timeline for an Avengers sequel.

Iger boasted that Avengers “shattered domestic box-office records with a $207.1 million opening weekend for a global performance of more than $702 million to date.”

The CEO also said that there are Avengers-based attractions in the works for some of Disney’s theme parks.

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Robert Downey Jr Fan (previously: Downey Web) has a whole new look, courtesy of Flor at Sweet Revelation! As much as I still adored Ina’s previous layout, I thought it was time for a slight aesthetic change; keeping the main images but presenting them in a new light. You can also check out a matching layout at the photo gallery. What do you think? If you see any errors, please comment here and let me know. I’m already aware that contact forms are not currently working, but I’ll be fixing them ASAP.

Earlier today, Robert appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” to talk about The Avengers (in U.S. theaters tomorrow). For now, pictures from his appearance can be seen in the gallery. “Jay Leno” will air later tonight, May 3rd, at 11:35/10:35c.

Edit: You can now watch clips of Robert’s appearance on “Jay Leno” below, or you can watch the episode in its entirety on NBC.com.

In a recent interview with Marvel’s Kevin Feige, it was mentioned that Tony Stark could be another James Bond sort of character: someone who could be recast with new actors to continue the legacy. Robert Downey Jr was asked about this idea while at the Tribeca Film Festival, to which he said he would “really hate for someone else to think they could step into my shoes.” An video of his comments on the subject can be viewed above, or you can read a detailed account of it at MTV. (He also talks a bit about Iron Man 3, including potential casting and the possibility of filming in China.)

Some new tidbits from an Esquire interview have been released, along with a new photo shoot. You can check out an excerpt of the interview below and then head over to the source to read the rest, in which RDJ talks about pursing directing and enlightens readers on the best advice he’s ever been given. Enjoy!

Downey on his new son:
Three weeks ago, we had a bun in the oven, and we were about to have a kid. There was all this trepidation, all this projection, all this anticipation and goodwill and a good vibe about it. But what you’re squeezing to the side — or what’s in the glove box — is these thousands of forms of fear. And then he was born and they’ve all just kind of scattered now. It seems like he’s always been here.

Downey on being a father:
I guess here’s what’s come to me in the last three weeks: That anticipation and fear are going to come back. Am I going to know what to do with them? Does any new parent, even if you’re not a first-time parent, ever really know what to do? Only thing you have to do, the only requirement, if you can hack it, is to not transfer your own discomfort in the moment to this fresh soul, right? … You got to be mindful. I don’t want to be so confident in myself. It’s that balance between being relaxed enough to not be communicating anxiety and present enough to not be creating the very thing that you were anxious about by being so relaxed — because I’ve seen that parenting style, too.

Downey on being a hero:
Do I want to be a hero to my son? No. I would like to be a very real human being. That’s hard enough. Every dad casts a shadow, you know? And that shadow is you’re disappointed, you’re resentful, or you feel so supported and loved you don’t understand why life is so hard anyway — or, you know, it’s so long and so dark that you can never step out of it, so you might as well not even try. Right? So. So hero to me is not applicable to the human experience. I think that we all do heroic things, but hero is not a noun, it’s a verb.

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