Robert Downey Jr. made his debut in the 2008 film Iron Man. The film not only introduced Downey Jr. as Iron Man but also laid the foundation for the MCU. The Marvel star is one of the favorite superheroes, and fans were devastated when his character was killed in the 2019 film Avengers: Endgame. However, according to the director of the film, the studio did not want to cast Downey Jr. as Iron Man and was considering other actors to portray the character.
It was Jon Favreau who intervened and argued that the Tropic Thunder star was the perfect choice for Iron Man. And Favreau was certainly right, as Marvel fans are still waiting for his return as Iron Man in the MCU.
Jon Favreau Fought Marvel Studios To Cast Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. is not only loved for his MCU role, but he is also one of the most loved actors in Hollywood. However, the Sherlock Holmes star suffered from a negative public image due to drug and alcohol addictions. And this was the reason Marvel Studios was hesitant to cast him as Iron Man.
But Jon Favreau was not ready to take no for an answer. He shared that as they were planning the 2008 film, he brought up the idea to cast the Dolittle star in the lead role. The studio rejected his idea multiple times. Favreau, however, was certain that no other actor was suitable to portray Iron Man.
The Chef star said, “It was my job as a director to show that it was the best choice creatively…and now the Marvel Universe is the biggest franchise in film history.” He said that he has a “really special ability” to see the talent in people, and he saw that in Robert Downey Jr.
But that was not the only reason he wanted the Due Date star to portray Iron Man. According to Favreau, he saw far too many similarities between Downey Jr. and Tony Stark.
“Everybody knew he was talented… Certainly, by studying the Iron Man role and developing that script, I realized that the character seemed to line up with Robert in all the good and bad ways. And the story of Iron Man was really the story of Robert’s career.”
The Elf director was able to convince Marvel Studios, and the rest is history. Iron Man is still one of the biggest hits of the studio and will continue to be a crucial part of the MCU.
Jon Favreau Was Against the Decision to Kill Iron Man in Endgame
During an interview with Vanity Fair, the Russo brothers shared that planning Iron Man’s final scene was “probably the most pressure” they had ever felt.
“It’s probably the most pressure we’ve ever had in trying to come up with a line … in any of these movies. You do not want to fuck up Tony Stark’s last line,” the Russo brothers said.
They also shared that Jon Favreau was not in favor of their plan to end Iron Man’s journey in Endgame. Anthony Russo shared that Favreau “called us up after he read the script and said to us, ‘Are you guys really going to kill Iron Man?’”
The Made director claimed that it would “devastate people.” Favreau said, “You don’t want them walking out of the theater and into traffic.” However, the Endgame directors still decided to do it. Robert Downey Jr. portrayed Iron Man for the last time in the 2019 film Avengers: Endgame.
The Iron Man film series is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Twitter
