Captain America: Civil War directors say recasting Iron Man is impossible

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

We've been fairly fortunate to make it through the majority of the Marvel Cinematic Universe without much recasting taking place, but the time may come when actors like Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Robert Downey Jr. won't be the ones filling their characters respective suits. We don't know exactly what Marvel has planned for those eventualities, but in the case of Robert Downey Jr., Joe and Anthony Russo believe that recasting him would be borderline impossible.

The CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR directors sat down with Forbes recently where they were asked about recasting Marvel's most famous hero.

It’s almost impossible to replace Robert, he’s the biggest movie star in the world. One close up from Robert is worth another actor’s entire performance, he’s incredibly gifted and insanely talented. I think if and when he is done with the character I think you will find that Iron Man might disappear for a while. I think the only way that you could reboot that character is to give a generational gap that would allow another actor to at least have a chance to redefine that character without the enormous spectre of Robert hanging over it. There are so many characters in the Marvel universe that can pick up the ball and run without it through the next phase or two before you need to see Iron Man again, frankly.

After Marvel drove a dump truck full of money up to Robert Downey Jr.'s house, it was fairly clear that they wanted him to stick around, but when the time comes that Downey has simply had enough (or they can no longer afford him), giving the character a break might be the way to go. Anthony and Joe Russo do bring up a good point however, the MCU has evolved to the point where it is populated by enough interesting characters to keep the ship running without Iron Man. The CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR directors hope that Iron Man won't be subject to the same mistakes that Spider-Man was, when we got three different versions of the character in under fifteen years.

There is the fatigue factor that comes with it. I’m a skeptical fan and I would look at the multiple version and I would even go, "Guys, give me a break. Let me wash my palette clean of whatever the last interpretation was because you’re exhausting me!"

That said, they're hoping that Marvel's revamp of Spider-Man will be a "really invigorating piece of story telling and a catalyzing interpretation of the character" who Spider-Man fans "will shit themselves over." The Forbes interview contains more information about Spider-Man's costume as well as his role in CIVIL WAR, which you can check out right here.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR is set for a May 6, 2016 release.

What's the best scenario for you? Robert Downey Jr. leaves and the character is recast, either immediately or after a hiatus, or would you prefer that a new character take on the mantle of Iron Man?