Parts of Iron Man/the MCU that wouldn’t exist if Robert Downey Jr hadn’t been cast
This wasn’t even a scene in IM1. RDJ just tried it out one take and Marvel liked it so much that they used it. That ending was iconic and the line was used in many times in subsequent movies, including, of course, Endgame.
(both gifs by @themightyconchords)
RDJ said that one of the things that helped him start to get his life on track was eating a truly awful Burger King cheeseburger. He wanted that put in the movie in some way. In Endgame, we get the callback when Morgan asks for a cheeseburger and we all get punched in the heart.
This is one of the most quoted lines from Endgame and it came from the Downey household. Robert and his children say it to each other and he thought it would be a good emotional line to include. He was right, of course.
(both gifs by @whatadaytoexplode)
I don’t know about other fans, but I had been waiting for Tony to confront Steve about hm dismantling the Avengers. The scene finally happened in Endgame and it was so cathartic. And apparently all made up by RDJ. The dialogue and acting in that scene was so raw and emotional.
(gif by @proinslascassidy > @jessicajones616)
I’m not giving Robert credit for Tom’s amazing acting. That’s all him. However, the directors and Tom have said that Robert helped him with the scene.
“It wasn’t as drawn out as this,” Anthony Russo added, before going on to discuss how Downey Jr. was keen to mine the sequence for all it was worth and coached Holland on where the character was at this point and how hopeless he felt. The result was a show-stopping performance from the young actor.
“At the end of the day, he kept driving: put more and more emotion into it, and just went up to Tom and said, ‘You don’t want to go because you’re a child. And you’re using your strength as Spider-Man to fight this. And then that was the performance that came out. It was a pretty spectacular performance for a 21-year-old actor.”
Tom has also said in another interview that one of his tricks to make himself cry is to repeat a phrase over and over. I’m sure that scene would have been emotional regardless, but the line is so heartbreaking because it shows how young Peter is and it shows that Downey understood the emotional weight of the scene.
He basically improvised most of his lines in IM1 and has continued to throw in lines in every movie. Some of them may not have had the impact of others but they’re still funny and/or
The entire after credit scene in the Hulk
“That man is playing Galaga”
Tony eating food in the lab in Avengers
“its not a hug, Im just grabbing the door for ya” (w/ Holland)
“You seem a little defensive”
Tony’s silence during his death
Lines were written but Robert thought it would be more emotional to have Tony stay silent as he was dying.
Robert didn’t write the script but he did influence a major part of the movie, Tony’s trauma. RDJ specifically asked that they explore Tony’s trauma in IM3.
“I thought rather than pretending that didn’t happen, let’s bring it into the latest installment.”
He has always advocated for the movies to show Tony being affected by the things that happen.
“One of Robert’s big things is he always wants to be damaged by the things that happen to his character and he wants to show the damage done. There should be a grittiness about showing the cost of the life [Tony] is living.”
When trying to stop the Winter Soldier, Tony goes up against him with nothing but a single gauntlet made from his watch. That device was thought up by Robert himself. He pitched it to the directors and they let him do it. That fight shows Tony’s willingness to fight without his suit and his clever way to fight the Winter Soldier using his own body weight against him. Its a short scene but its a really cool gadget and an interesting fight.
(gif by @virgintony deactivated)
Tony’s glasses showing vulnerability
Tony uses his glasses to show when he’s vulnerable and when he’s guarded. Let’s be honest, that’s all Robert.
RDJ’s acting talent bringing weight to a superhero role
We love Tony because he’s layered. Because he’s made mistakes. Who else could bring the multidimensional portrayal to the role like Robert has? No one, in my opinion.
How RDJ is as an actor and ‘marvel ambassador’
RDJ talked Chris Evans into taking the role of Captain America and was part of choosing Tom Holland for Spiderman. Everyone says he is a generous acting partner, a great person to have on set, one of the first people to welcome newbies into the Marvel world. These things don’t have specific effects but they matter.
It took so long to find gifs that i kind of lost steam at the end. But my point still stands. Tony Stark is so beloved partly because he is portrayed by the right actor who cares about the role.
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