us saying “the mcu wouldnt exist without tony stark” isnt a hot take its just a fact and if you argue with facts you end up looking dumb each time so by all means go forth lmao
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the MCU would not exist without Robert Downey Jr.”
– Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios
Okay so facts, everyone: they made Iron Man because Marvel was losing a ton of movie because a.) previous movies sucked ass and b.) no one was really buying comic books at the rate they needed them to be. Iron Man was their Hail Mary pass, in a sense.
A lot of people were considered for the role of the metal man. Nicolas Cage wanted to play Tony Stark, Tom Cruise wanted to play Iron Man until 2004, and Sam Rockwell–who actually ended up playing Best Choice Brand Tony Stark (Justin Hammer)–was heavily considered for the role.
But Jon Favreau, director the Iron Man movie, wanted Robert Downey Jr. It’s rumored that he has an eye for talent, but he also saw the similiarities in roles at the time: RDJ had been in drugs, considered “washed-up,” and would’ve been a has-been in about two years tops. (Rough, personal estimate.)
So, Marvel eventually let Favreau have his way. Favreau himself said it was a gamble, saying “That was a big gamble on whether or not he was really serious about it…” And it turned out, he was.
When Iron Man hit theaters, it was a huge success. Tony Stark popped out as this likable asshole who had problems and was more human than anyone had ever seen before. The script was light and real, not manufactured to tell anyone the right thing. The actors weren’t there to look shiny and plastic and then demand a paycheck afterwards.
They played around with the script, improvising and bringing a fresh vitality into the role. Robert Downey Jr. was unpredictable, and it shows bright on screen. His interpretation of Tony Stark brought the audience to standing with applause and demanding an encore. His microexpressions and nuanced tone had everyone wondering what the bigger picture was.
Iron Man gave Marvel the green-light to continue on with pictures, and they had their genius way of making movies: humor with serious tones. It worked, and it’s all thanks to one man in a can.
