Robert Downey Jr is set on a glorious path of several award wins after his fantastic performance in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. He might as well grab his first Academy Award! He got nominated for the Oscars twice, and as they say, third time’s a charm. RDJ will get nominated for an Oscar and might even get it, but that’s yet to happen. This wouldn’t have been possible if he didn’t get a second chance in his career, which came with Marvel’s Iron Man. Downey as Tony Stark changed his life and made him one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood.
But Downey’s decision to be Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, aka MCU, has something to do with Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp. Keanu and Depp are two of the most celebrated actors in the film industry, just like RDJ. Downey had a dark past owing to his fight with addiction, but he fought hard, turned his life around, and is now one of the most loved actors of all. His fans still want him to return to the MCU, not to mention the emotional teary-eyed moment at the theatres when his MCU character died in Avengers: Endgame.
He appeared as Iron Man in 2008, kickstarting the MCU, and after that, he appeared as Tony Stark in about ten Marvel movies. In an interview with Esquire, Robert Downey Jr opened up about why he took the superhero role. He said, “I originally pursued Iron Man because I had seen Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp succeed with their own film franchises, and I wanted my son to see his dad in that kind of a movie.”
Robert Downey Jr continued, “I’m also proud of the fact that I’m a leading man who can do major blockbusters and be that Harrison Ford kind of guy. It’s not a bad place to be.” The MCU movies are some of the highest-grossing films, and RDJ was right to make that choice and join Marvel.
As Robert Downey Jr said, Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp had very successful franchises. Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has earned an estimated $4.5 billion worldwide. Keanu Reeves also had a top-rated and successful franchise with The Matrix. They inspired RDJ and took a leap of faith with Marvel’s Iron Man. For the unversed, The Matrix came out in 1999, followed by two installments in 2003. On the other hand, Pirates of the Caribbean 1,2 & 3 came to the theatres before Iron Man’s release.
Opening up about what happened after Iron Man’s release, RDJ said, “Everything changed on the Monday morning after the opening weekend for Iron Man in 2008. My economic and professional status underwent a complete revolution, and I’ve tried to understand how that works and make sure I maintain that stature and momentum.”
In his interviews, Iron Man star Jeff Bridges revealed that he, Jon Favreau, and RDJ made changes to the original script, but Marvel rejected it. As per Box Office Mojo, the film was made on a budget of $140 million and earned $585.79 million at the worldwide box office. Recently, RDJ called his performances in the MCU projects some of his best works, and the fans won’t disagree; Christopher Nolan also said that casting him as Tony Stark was one of the best decisions in cinema history.
Robert Downey Jr bagged the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards for his performance in Oppenheimer, and now all eyes will be on the Oscars.
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