Somewhere in the multiverse, Robert Downey Jr. is playing the villain.
After the Academy Award winner first suited up as Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man, director and co-star Jon Favreau revealed in a 15th anniversary retrospective of the inaugural MCU title that Downey Jr. also auditioned for Fantastic Four (2005).
“I remember you had all met with him already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project,” he recalled to Marvel boss Kevin Feige in the special. “I think he had come through on maybe Fantastic Four, so everybody sort of knew who he was.”
The part of Doctor Doom ultimately went to Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck, Charmed).
Favreau praised Downey Jr. as “the puzzle piece that made it all work” in Iron Man, adding: “I remember sitting down with the guy, and I was like, ‘He’s got that spark in him in his eye and he’s ready.’ That’s when we were in your office, and we were pointing to his headshot, saying, ‘We got to try to figure this out.’”
Julian McMahon in Fantastic Four (2005). (20th Century Fox Film Corp.)
“Once it was him, that’s when my life got a lot easier,” added Favreau. “Because he the voice of the character. And then one by one, people were just signing on board because now it became something interesting.”
Feige credited Favreau and Downey Jr.’s behind-the-scenes dynamic with much of the MCU’s success. “That tone that you and Robert discovered on that movie, I would say became the template in a way for much of what the MCU became,” he said.
“I remember on later movies – we’ll talk about them on the 15th anniversary of those – there were dark days,” added Feige. “And 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.”
Robert Downey Jr. speaks during the ceremony honoring Jon Favreau with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 13, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)
As Tony Stark, Downey Jr. ended up joining forces onscreen with Fantastic Four actor Chris Evans, who played Captain America for the first time in 2011, six years after starring as the Human Torch.
Downey Jr. went on to portray Iron Man in 10 movies, bowing out from the franchise with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. In December, Feige shot down any hopes that the actor might return to the franchise after his character made the ultimate sacrifice.
“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige told Vanity Fair. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”