Tobey Maguire is best known for his role as Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. The actor became the symbol of hope for a generation with his innocent and relentless iteration of the web-slinging superhero. While other actors have since taken the mantel, Maguire remains an inspirational figure.
The Babylon star’s stint with Marvel not only inspired millions of fans, but also one of the most important people in the MCU. Robert Downey Jr. recently revealed that he was inspired to go in the superhero direction after visiting the sets of Spider-Man and seeing Tobey Maguire hard at work.
Robert Downey Jr. Was Inspired By Tobey Maguire To Become Iron Man
With three live-action iterations of Spider-Man in recent memory, fans have often debated who the best actor to portray was. Tom Holland, the most recent iteration, seems to have a huge fan-following due to his comedic chops as well as comic-accurate teenage shenanigans. However, Andrew Garfield’s scrappy Spider-Man is not far behind.
The OG remains the OG as Tobey Maguire proved in a surprise appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home. His cameo as Peter Parker showed that he still got it and his chemistry with the other two Spider-men was a sight to behold. However, Marvel fans were not the only people Maguire reportedly inspired.
Robert Downey Jr. in a recent podcast appearance mentioned that he was inspired by Maguire when he visited him on the sets of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and saw how much satisfaction it brought. He said on the Awards Chatter podcast,
In real-time … I saw how difficult they were, how rewarding they could be, and how popular [comic book films] were becoming.
Even in the early 2000s, comic book films were still considered to be something aimed at children, and films like the X-Men franchise and the Spider-Man trilogy changed that perception. Downey Jr. went on to create history with the MCU, kickstarting the franchise with Iron Man.
Robert Downey Jr. Was Unconsciously Ready For The Role Of Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr.’s struggle with dr*gs and the legal troubles it caused has become common knowledge. The actor was essentially blacklisted in Hollywood, with no production ready to take insurance on him. However, Jon Favreau reportedly fought for the actor to be in Iron Man, and together, they crafted a legendary film that changed Hollywood.
Downey Jr. mentioned that after his tryst with the law and his career faced a huge setback, he had become clean and was ready to tackle more roles. He said,
I had been clean long enough … hungry even longer and I could feel [the] obsession coming back with manifesting the best version of myself … I had strangely been furiously strength training six times a week before I even knew [this role] was coming … and my shrink had told me ‘just start acting like something great is gonna happen and get ready for it’
The actor ended up creating history with Iron Man, which kickstarted the MCU. He became synonymous with the role of Tony Stark and revived his career. He recently won the Oscar for Best Actor at the Oscars for Oppenheimer.
All Marvel films, including Spider-Man and Iron Man are currently available to stream on Disney Plus.
