A lot of actors have lent their talents to the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the years, but for a long time, Robert Downey Jr. was arguably the “face” of the popular superhero franchise. Downey’s performance as Tony Stark was one of the main reasons Iron Man was so well received, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige even proclaimed this casting as “one of the most significant decisions in the history of Hollywood.” However, had life gone differently, we might’ve see Downey play a major Marvel villain rather than one of its greatest heroes: Doctor Doom.
Kevin Feige and director Jon Favreau got together to reminisce about Iron Man for a Marvel video celebrating the movie’s 15th anniversary, so naturally the circumstances surrounding Downey being cast as the title protagonist was discussed. That led to Favreau sharing this tidbit about how the actor had already crossed paths with Marvel before the 2008 movie was put together:
I remember that Robert had come in for a general on [Iron Man]. I remember you had all met with him already for Doctor Doom or something on another project. I think he had come through on maybe Fantastic Four. So everybody sort of knew who he was. I remember sitting down with the guy, and I was like, ‘Geez, he’s got that spark in his eye and he’s ready.’ We were in [Feige’s] office and we were pointing to his headshot and saying, ‘We gotta try to figure this out.’
Favreau was recalling the casting process for 2005’s Fantastic Four, which Kevin Feige executive produced and chronicled the origin story of Marvel’s First Family for the first time on the big screen. The role of the team’s arch-nemesis, Victor Von Doom, a.k.a. Doctor Doom, ultimately went to Julian McMahon, but apparently Robert Downey Jr. made it pretty far into the casting process, with his film credits around that time including The Singing Detective and Gothika, well as having starred as Larry Paul in the TV show Ally McBeal. Now I can’t help wondering what Downey’s version of Doctor Doom would have looked like, but clearly he left enough of an impression for Feige and the Marvel Studios brass to circle back to him for Iron Man, which was the company’s first independent feature.
That said, Robert Downey Jr. wasn’t Marvel’s “top” choice to lead Iron Man, with Feige recalling a few weeks how Clive Owen passed on the role. However, it’s safe to say that Downey bringing Tony Stark to life worked out in the end for all parties. Iron Man’s success paved the way for the MCU to become the pop culture juggernaut it is to say, and Downey became one of Hollywood’s greatest stars. The actor appeared in 10 MCU movies total, with his tenure wrapping up in Avengers: Endgame when Tony died. While there always the possibility that Downey could return to play an alternate version of Iron Man, like Mark Ruffalo suggested, for now, fans can be grateful that for the time he did spend in the franchise. Had he been cast as Doctor Doom, he almost certainly wouldn’t have stuck around the Marvel space for nearly as long.
You can revisit all of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man appearances with a Disney+ subscription as you make your way through the Marvel movies in order. As always, keep checking with CinemaBlend for the latest and greatest news on upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows.
