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Robert Downey Jr. Once Gave Audition For THIS Iconic Villian Before Landing The Role Of Iron Man; DEETS
Robert Downey Jr. once auditioned for the role of a villain before becoming Iron Man. Here’s how his dynamic with director Jon Favreau helped shape the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Robert Downey Jr. first became Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man, but he once auditioned for a different role. In a 15th anniversary look back at Iron Man, director Jon Favreau revealed that Downey Jr. also tried out for the part of Doctor Doom in 2005’s Fantastic Four.
Robert Downey Jr. auditioned for Doctor Doom before Iron Man's role
Favreau reminisced about discussing this with Marvel boss Kevin Feige, he said, “I remember you had all met with him already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project.” The role of Doctor Doom eventually went to Julian McMahon.
Favreau praised Downey Jr. as “the puzzle piece that made it all work” in Iron Man. He recalled sitting down with him and seeing his potential. Favreau said. "‘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.'”
The Chef Actor then added, “Once it was him, that’s when my life got a lot easier because he the voice of the character. And then one by one, people were just signing on board because now it became something interesting.”
Kevin Feige credits MCU's success to Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr.
Kevin Feige credited the dynamic between Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. with much of the MCU’s success, noting that the tone they discovered in Iron Man became a template for the MCU. Feige also recalled challenging times in later movies and how they relied heavily on Downey Jr.'s influence, acknowledging that the studio might not exist without him, per Deadline.
As Tony Stark, Downey Jr. teamed up onscreen with Chris Evans, who played Captain America starting in 2011, six years after his role as the Human Torch in Fantastic Four.
Downey Jr. portrayed Iron Man in 10 movies, ending with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. In December, Feige shut down any hopes of Downey Jr. returning to the franchise after his character’s ultimate sacrifice.
The Iron Man Franchise is available to stream on Disney+ and Prime Video.
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