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Christopher Nolan called Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man “one of the most consequential casting decisions that’s ever been made” – but the actor almost played a very different Marvel character.
The director of the first two Iron Man films, Jon Favreau, shared the revelation in a retrospective on the 2008 film shared by Marvel, 15 years after Downey Jr made his debut as the character.
According to Favreau, Downey Jr, who thinks his best work as Iron Man went “a little bit unnoticed”, was considered for the role of Doctor Doom in 2005 film Fantastic Four.
Released three years before the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was launched, the film starred Ioan Gruffud, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans, years before he was cast as Captain America.
“I remember you had all met with him already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project,” Favreau recalled during a conversation with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
“I think he had come through on maybe Fantastic Four, so everybody sort of knew who he was.”
Julian McMahon, who was best known at the time for US drama Nip/Tuck, was cast in the role instead, with Toby Kebbell playing the same character in a 2015 reboot.
Downey Jr, who played Iron Man in 10 films, might still have been cast as the character if he’d played Doctor Doom, considering Evans, who appeared in Fantastic Four as Human Torch, ended up playing a pivotal role in MCU.
Feige said the first Iron Man “became the template in a way for much of what the MCU became”, with Favreau calling Downey Jr “the puzzle piece that made it all work”.
Recalling his first meeting with Downey Jr about the role, the director, who also appears in the MCU as Tony Stark’s Head of Security Happy Hogan, said: “I remember sitting down with the guy, and I was like, ‘He’s got that spark in him in his eye and he’s ready.’ Once it was him, that’s when my life got a lot easier.”
Marvel is having a third attempt at making a Fantastic Four – and it will be the first time the characters have appeared in the MCU. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn will star in the film that’s set to be released in 2025.
Favreau and Feige’s retrospective is the first of many that will be held to commemorate the 15th anniversary of each film in the MCU.
