It’s an understatement to say the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been good to Robert Downey Jr. With one movie, the actor, who had a troubled past and was deemed too risky by Hollywood, not only redeemed himself in the eyes of the public but made entirely new fans for generations, as well as jump-starting a whole studio’s universe of films, and skyrocketing himself to be one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. It’s the biggest comeback story imaginable.
Whereas the 10-year run of the Iron Man actor had to come to an end, it also comes with a current state of memories and reflection for Downey as he talks to Deadline about the biggest phase of his life and what he misses about it.
Being in the trenches with Kevin Feige throughout; the beginning, with Jon Favreau, it’s like a beautiful dream now; the middle, with Shane Black on Iron Man 3, we’d just had [our son] Exton and shot it mostly in Wilmington NC. It was idyllic and subversive. And The End, when I realized I’d made so many close friends in the MCU cast, and the Russo Brothers helping me embrace Tony’s arc.”
When the Tony Stark character had come to his conclusion at the end of Avengers: Endgame, there was a huge sense of finality to the OG era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The company had grown into an entity no one would’ve thought of as they almost completely changed Hollywood as other studios chased their shared universe model. Studios like DC would stumble while doing it, but attempts like the Dark Universe over at Universal would die after the flop of one movie…twice.
Now, the MCU also has its sights on television, with Disney+ helping to tell even more stories that connect to the universe. Downey may not have been present in every movie since Iron Man, but his stamp and his roots are definitely felt with each movie, for without his natural charismatic persona, no universe could’ve lasted.