Robert Downey Jr. Almost Played a Different Marvel Superhero Instead of Iron Man
In the world of superheroes, Robert Downey Jr.’s name has become synonymous with Tony Stark and his iconic role as Iron Man. However, recent revelations by actor and director Jon Favreau suggest this was not the case initially.
It turns out that Downey Jr. wasn’t initially slated to portray the tech billionaire philanthropist who fights crime in a high-tech suit. During a conversation with Marvel boss Kevin Feige, Favreau reminisced about when Downey Jr. was being considered for an entirely different character. Favreau said, “I remember you had all met with [Downey] already for Doctor Doom or something on another project. I think he had come through on maybe Fantastic Four, so everybody knew who he was.” Recently, Favreau and Feige sat down to reflect on the Iron Man film, which was released 15 years ago and marked the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
During the conversation, Favreau delved deeper into Downey Jr.’s casting, stating, “He was the missing piece of the puzzle that made it all work. I remember sitting down with the guy, and I was like, ‘He’s got that spark in his eye, and he’s ready.’ That’s when we were in your office, and we were pointing to his headshot, saying, ‘We have to figure this out.'” Favreau continued, “Once it was him, my life became much easier because he understood the character. He grasped the voice of the character. And then, one by one, people started to jump on board one by one because it became something interesting.” Feige joined the conversation, praising Favreau for establishing the tone he and Downey Jr. discovered in the first Iron Man film, which ultimately became the template for much of the MCU. You can watch the entire conversation below.
In other entertainment news, it has been confirmed that John Wick 5 is currently in the early stages of development.
