Playing Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer may have altered the course of his thinking to some extent, but the character whose personality Robert Downey Jr. truly mirrors in real life is none other than the fan-favorite superhero, Iron Man, aka Tony Stark. The exceptional sarcasm, wit, and humor that the actor delivers in real-time is nothing short of what his Marvel character delivers on the big screens, and that is just one of the many traits the pair have in common.
Even to the most serious of questions, Downey Jr. has the most unique and Stark-y responses, like his ultimate sarcastic answer to the question where he was asked to comment on Marvel getting criticized for destroying cinema’s soul!
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Robert Downey Jr.’s Epic Response To Criticism On The MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has long been accused and criticized for destroying cinema’s soul by bringing about the fictional content that it does. And among all the people who had been asked to comment on this issue, Robert Downey Jr.’s response was downright the most ‘Tony Stark-y’.
During an interview with the New York Times a little before the release of Oppenheimer, the Iron Man star was asked if he feels any “ambivalence” of having been such a key part of a franchise that “pretty much ate Hollywood moviemaking.”
To this, instead of being tongue-tied and thinking on the matter, the real-life Tony Stark replied:
“If you’re talking about, adjusted for inflation, the biggest movies of all time, “Gone With the Wind” and “The Ten Commandments” are there. I’m sure that in the years those movies came out, there were probably films that you and I would agree were a better representation of what cinema can be.”
Continuing, he then talked about how he didn’t have the “luxury” of thinking about what the “longer-term repercussions” of being in a franchise that would pretty soon evolve into a cinematic universe would be when he joined it as a “second-tier superhero,” adding:
“And it didn’t matter, because I had a Super Bowl ring on each finger while this debate was being contested with much heat.”
Say what you want, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe needs more actors like Robert Downey Jr., who have its back.
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Robert Downey Jr., In Fact, Feels “Happy” To Be A Part Of The MCU
As it turned out, Robert Downey Jr.’s sarcastic response to the question was far from over.
Continuing, he then talked about the “other side of it,” which was the fact that he grew up in a family that “rebelled against the idea of a summer blockbuster having any merit,” and even held the thought that “the films that were preferred viewing that year weren’t any good, either.”
All in all, slamming down the question, he concluded:
“So coming from that other place, entering the box-office weekend-dominating place, then going into this spot now where I’m happy that I’m in this quality product — I’m happy that I regained my connection with a more purist approach to making movies.”
Well, one might be able to take Robert Downey Jr. out of the role of Iron Man, but no one, and we repeat, no one can take RDJ’s inner Tony Stark out of him.
