Actor Robert Downey Jr. is loved as Tony Stark aka Iron Man to such an extent that his character has become sort of synonymous with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Man recently getting added to the National Film Registry goes on to say that the actor has certainly made a mark on the industry. Despite the legacy created by Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, his character had to, unfortunately, meet his end in the MCU.
Paul Rudd
Although a heroic and dare we say, a fitting end to the character, fans have been wondering if they will ever get to see Tony Stark in action again. While there was once a rumor about Tom Cruise playing Iron Man in the multiverse, it certainly didn’t happen, and thank God it didn’t! It’s safe to say that fans wouldn’t want any other actor taking on the role and Paul Rudd seems to agree!
Paul Rudd is Awed by Robert Downey Jr.
Paul Rudd and Robert Downey Jr.
Appearing on The Howard Stern Show back in 2019, Paul Rudd talked about how much he admires what Robert Downey Jr. has done for the character of Iron Man and the MCU. Host Howard Stern starts off the topic by mentioning how Downey vouches for Rudd being “The nicest guy” he has ever met. Rudd returned the favor by adding that Downey awes him stating, “He is another guy I’m a little awed by.”
Next, Stern talked about how Rudd took the character of Ant-Man and made him great through his skills with respect to how well he brought the character to life. Talking about how he managed to pull it off, Rudd mentioned how Downey did Iron Man with a certain level of creative liberty which made the superhero iconic. The Ant-Man and the Wasp actor then added that what Downey did with the role was so great that you couldn’t possibly imagine any other acting playing Tony Stark.
“If you look at a guy like Robert Downey Jr. when he is doing Iron Man, I feel like there is such a looseness with him and the way he kind of interprets things, the way he interacts with people, but certainly he takes on this role and there is a freedom to just kind of make it whatever he wants to make it. And so, he then created something where you can’t even imagine another actor in that part.”
It looks like if Marvel ever plans on recasting Tony Stark in the future, not only will the fans declare a war on the studios, but Rudd will be right there leading the army!
Robert Downey Jr. Made Iron Man Iconic
Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame (2019)
If anyone in the 1990s heard Downey’s name, they would think of an actor who had wasted his youth in prison tormented by family and drug abuse his whole life and was doing rounds of courts one after the other. Absolutely no one would imagine that this very person will go on to become one of the most successful and loved actors of our generation.
When director Jon Favreau pitched the script of Iron Man to Disney, Downey was the last actor they would recommend to play the titular role. They thought that it was suicide to cast a person with such a troubled past and that his history would not go well down with the image of Disney. But Favreau was adamant and kept insisting that Downey was perfect to play the arrogant, billionaire philanthropist.
Disney finally green-lit the project and against all odds, Iron Man became a massive hit all over the world. Subsequently, a sequel also went into development along with a shared-world cinematic universe no one had ever seen before. Movies like Captain America and Thor would not have been possible without the success of the first Iron Man movie.
The charisma of Downey’s screen presence quickly spread all over the globe. Fans loved seeing him suit up and pack a punch against all those villains we have seen throughout the MCU movies. Not to forget those witty one-liners and the nicknames he had for all his co-Avengers! Downey’s work as Iron Man will never be forgotten by his fans!
