Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark’s MCU journey came full circle when he said ‘I am Iron Man’ in Avengers: Endgame. It was the most iconic line in the MCU as it was first uttered by RDJ in the first MCU movie, Iron Man, in 2008. It indeed has an emotional connection not only with the audience but with the actor, too. However, the Russo brothers, aka Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, once revealed that Downey refused to repeat that phrase in the 2019 film. Scroll below for more.
For the uninitiated, in the 2019 movie, when the Avengers and all the other MCU heroes are in the final fight with Thanos, Tony Stark ultimately takes the Infinity Stones from the Mad Titan and says that iconic line before snapping his fingers, putting an end to Thanos and his army. It was an emotional moment for the fans in the theatres as they understood that they were about to lose their favorite hero.
The Russo brothers directed both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. On the ReelBlend Podcast, Joe revealed Robert Downey Jr initially refused to say ‘I am Iron Man’ in the 2019 movie. Joe recalled, “It’s an interesting story. I had dinner with [Robert Downey Jr.] like two weeks before we were supposed to shoot it. And he was like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t really want to go back and get into that emotional state. It’ll take… it’s hard.’”
Joe Russo mentioned that Joel Silver, the producer, was also present at the dinner with him and Robert Downey Jr. Joel was an old friend of the Iron Man star. The Russo brother recalled, “And Joel jumps in, and he’s like, ‘Robert, what are you talking about? That’s the greatest line I’ve ever heard! You gotta say this line! You have to do this!’”
The Russo brother added, “So thank God that Joel Silver was at dinner, because he helped us talk Robert into doing that line.” Previously, in an interview, Joe and Anthony Russo shared that they believed Robert Downey Jr’s ‘I Am Iron Man’ in the 2008 movie was a defining moment in the MCU, and they were right on point about that.
Marvel has recently announced Robert Downey Jr will return to the MCU as Doctor Doom, and a source reportedly revealed that the actor agreed to return on one condition. He allegedly wanted the Russo Brothers to direct Avengers 5 & 6. Avengers: Doomsday will be released in 2026, and Secrets Wars will be released in 2027.
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