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Robert Downey Jr. became the greatest superhero the world could ever see. Being Iron Man, his stardom and fandom was and still are truly unmatched. One could argue that Hugh Jackman may be the only name that could match his stardom as a superhero. But even he didn’t turn out to be as successful as Downey’s MCU persona.
While Wolverine had a great exit similar to Tony Stark’s, the latter happened on a much bigger scale and elevated Tony’s character to such magnificence that the world cried for him. Now, all Iron Man fans miss him, and apparently, RDJ equally misses being a part of the MCU.
"It was idyllic and subversive": Robert Downey Jr., as he recalls his days of being the Iron Man
While promoting his upcoming Father-Son Netflix documentary, Sr., the Sherlock Holmes star sat down for a chat with Deadline. Speaking to the outlet, he said that his entire journey felt like a nice long dream that started with Iron Man, ran through Iron Man 3, and ended with a bang, thanks to the closure the Russo brothers allowed him to have.
When asked about the MCU, Robert Downey Jr. revealed the four things he misses about his journey as Tony Stark:
"What I miss most? 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 Exton and shot it mostly in Wilmington N.C. 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.”
His entire journey was surely amazing for him and his die-hard fans worldwide.
Robert Downey Jr. wasn’t the first choice for Iron Man
Looking back at things, you’d think how different the world would have been if Marvel went through with Tom Cruise as Iron Man. After all, the Mission: Impossible actor was a front-runner for the role, and Marvel wasn’t sure of Robert Downey Jr. But both Jon Favreau and Downey were very passionate about their Iron Man vision.
RDJ told Deadline what Favreau had to do to convince Marvel to cast him:
"I exchanged my previous obsession with an obsession for this role and landing it, and lest we forget, it was Favreau who was pushing for me but knew he had to play the politics or he would have no leverage moving forward.”
Fortunately for the fans, Marvel finally heard Favreau’s plea. Tom Cruise may not have been a bad Tony Stark, but he himself admitted that Robert Downey Jr. was meant for the role.
Iron Man’s MCU Future
Now, even though the Earth-616 variant of Tony Stark is gone, fans are still eager to see Robert Downey Jr. return for a cameo in Avengers: Secret Wars. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen. But with the possibility of Hugh Jackman continuing after Deadpool 3, Tobey Maguire returning as Spider-Man, and the rest of the OG Avengers returning, Marvel has to find a way to bring him back as well.
Avengers: Secret Wars is set to release on May 1, 2026.
