Robert Downey Jr. achieved global stardom after his role as Tony Stark in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first film, Iron Man. His portrayal of the brilliant yet flawed billionaire superhero launched the MCU and redefined the superhero genre. Although Downey played several other roles before Iron Man, his success skyrocketed with Iron Man and made him a household name. True, Iron Man became a cornerstone of the MCU, all thanks to Downey, but off-camera, the actor had his own set of insecurities that were never reflected in his character.
In 2008, Downey played his first superhero role in Iron Man. However, before his Marvel career, the actor once shared that he was quite insecure about his portrayal of Tony Stark. Downey admitted with MTV, “I just wanna look good enough so that people don’t say, ‘Why is jelly belly playing a superhero?’”
Furthermore, Downey acknowledged that, unlike other Marvel superheroes, Iron Man lacks a traumatic past or defining elements that make him stand out. Instead, Tony Stark is just an ordinary man “in an extraordinary situation”, relying on his intellect and ingenuity rather than tragedy to shape his heroism.
Downey added, “He wasn’t bit by something or traumatized by a flying rodent…that he is just a guy. He’s like us, except he’s in an extraordinary situation and he has to use his innovation and his understanding of technology, really to save his own bu*t, so. I think that it’s…while I can relate to something that’s really fantastic like The Matrix or whatever, because it speaks to mythology, the truth is that technology and mythology of a character like Iron Man are actually pretty close in hand. So I think, that just brings a real, interesting realism to it.”
And yet, Iron Man is one of the most loved superheroes by fans and critics alike even after the tragic end in Avengers: Endgame.
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