According to Iron Man director Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr. was initially considered for a different role in the film that kickstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Downey first starred as Iron Man (aka Tony Stark) in the titular 2008 film, and went on to reprise the role in a further nine MCU entries, including two direct sequels to Iron Man (released in 2010 and 2013, respectively). He retired Stark’s arc in 2018, with his final appearance coming in Avengers: Endgame.
Favreau has also been an integral figure within the MCU, directing the first two Iron Man films and starring as Happy Hogan in a total of eight series entries. In a new interview with Marvel Studios leader Kevin Feige – released last week on Marvel’s YouTube channel to commemorate 15 years of the first Iron Man film – Favreau revealed that he nearly cast Downey in a different role altogether.
“I remember you had all met with [Downey] already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project,” Favreau said to Feige. “I think he had come through on like maybe Fantastic Four, so everybody sort of knew who he was.”
After Downey was cast as Stark, Favreau continued, work on the film became much smoother. “Once it was him, that’s when my life got a lot easier because he understood the voice of the character,” he said. “And then one by one, people were just signing on board because now it became something interesting.”
Feige went on to credit Downey as a key reason why Marvel Studios was able to emerge victorious from periods where the odds were stacked against them. He added: “I remember on later movies – we’ll talk about them on the 15th anniversary of those – there were dark days. I would say to Robert, ‘We wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for you,’ meaning we wouldn’t have a studio if it wasn’t for him.”
Have a look at the full interview below:
Since hanging up his Iron Man suit, Downey has starred in just one film, Dolittle, which arrived in 2020 and was critically panned. Last year, he produced and starred in a documentary about the careers of and relationship between himself and his late father, Robert Downey Sr, simply titled Sr.
Downey’s next role will be in Christopher Nolan‘s upcoming film Oppenheimer, which is set to hit screens on July 21. He’s ruled out a potential return to the MCU, saying in 2020 that his role is “all done”.