The rivalry between Marvel and DC has been a tale as old as time, with the two industry titans constantly battling for economic dominance and brand superiority. While it’s true that Marvel alum and DCU’s co-CEO, James Gunn, claimed that no animosity existed between the two studios the way fans made it out to be, Robert Downey Jr. from over a decade ago would beg to differ.
Robert Downey Jr. Loathed The Dark Knight (2008)
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy is a cinematic feast and an artistic spectacle if DC Studios ever saw one. From the impeccable casting and the painstaking execution of the storyline to Christian Bale‘s gripping take over Bruce Wayne, there’s no room left for any nitpicking. Robert Downey Jr., however, would strongly disagree.
Back when The Dark Knight was busy breaking box office records and leaving fans utterly bedazzled, Downey Jr. was preoccupied with berating the film for its muddled plot and shouting a big “f**k you” to DC, quite literally.
The Iron Man star claimed that even after sitting through the entire movie, he still wasn’t able to comprehend the premise, let alone piece it together. He even went on to say that he’d require a “college education to understand” the Academy Award-winning film, subtly but unforgivingly calling out the apparently chaotic and exaggerated plot.
“My whole thing is that I saw The Dark Knight. I feel like I’m dumb because I feel like I don’t get how many things that are so smart. It’s like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and scriptwriting and I’m like, ‘That’s not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.'”
“Didn’t get it, still can’t tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I’m like, ‘I get it. This is so high-brow and so f**king smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.’ You know what? F*ck DC comics. That’s all I have to say and that’s where I’m really coming from.”
Tony Stark is not a DC buff. Got it.
Robert Downey Jr. Believed Iron Man Topped Batman Begins
Jon Favreau’s Iron Man holds a special place in the hearts of Marvel fans for numerous reasons. For starters, the 2008 film kicked off the auspicious Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and turned out to be a commercial blockbuster. It also achieved critical acclamation for its thrilling action sequences and Downey Jr.’s striking portrayal of the billionaire superhero, not to mention his snarky yet charming humor that the audience couldn’t get enough of.
Part of the reason why the MCU veteran believed Iron Man emerged critically and financially victorious was that they approached the plot with humorous and light-hearted elements, unlike Nolan’s Batman Begins, which was all dark and grit packed in one.
“Jon is a great director, we have a great cast and it’s definitely a big undertaking,” Downey Jr., 58 told Cinema. “We were not doing the Batman Begins, dark, barely OK to bring your kids to version. It’s a lot more, I believe, accessible than that without being insulting to a wide range of filmgoers.”
The Dark Knight Trilogy is available on HBO Max.
Iron Man can be streamed on Disney+.
Source: HuffPost
