Actor and recent Oscar-winner Robert Downey Jr. is known for his decade-long role as Iron Man in the MCU. The actor laid the foundations for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, alongside director Jon Favreau and producer Kevin Feige. The film is largely credited with having changed how superhero films were perceived in Hollywood.
Downey Jr.’s off-screen persona often includes a self-aware yet inflated sense of ego. However, even he set it aside to name James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy as the best film in the franchise. The Oppenheimer star mentioned how he was surprised by how great the film was, with relatively unknown characters, and ended up being so important for the MCU.
Robert Downey Jr. Hails James Gunn’s Experimental Film As MCU’s Best
Robert Downey Jr. had a decade long-tenure in the MCU, starting with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man. The franchise has been a pioneer in creating a shared cinematic universe and was lauded for changing the way films worked in Hollywood. The Iron Man star was at the foundation of this phenomenon.
The actor’s rise from industry pariah to one of the most popular stars in the world can be traced back to his appearance in Iron Man. He bagged the role of Tony Stark despite increasing resistance from studio executives at Marvel. However, the film’s runaway success changed his perception within the industry, and he is now a coveted Oscar winner as well.
While Robert Downey Jr. loves himself enough to cite his own groundbreaking films such as Iron Man and The Avengers, or even the phenomenal Avengers: Endgame to be the best of the MCU, he seemed to have earnestly believed in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy. In the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, he said,
“Galaxy in some ways is the best Marvel movie ever. And it’s odd for someone with—on occasion—an ego the size of mine to actually say that.”
His co-star, Mark Ruffalo, also cited the Chris Pratt starrer as the best Marvel film as it was unlike any of the other established titles in the franchise. Kevin Feige mentioned how the film’s success validated the creators’ more experimental and esoteric creative directions.
Nobody Believed That James Gunn’s Film Would Be A Blockbuster
In the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, author Joanna Robinson chronicled the making of James Gunn’s unexpected masterpiece. Based on a relatively unknown IP by comic book writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, the film was reportedly regarded as a failure from the get-go as everyone felt that nobody would buy into a film with a robotic raccoon and a talking tree.
An insider at Marvel Studios reportedly mentioned in the book that they did not know how the film would pan out with audiences as it was too bizarre at the time, despite loving the material. They said,
“It seems so simple now. But don’t forget that selling a talking tree and a raccoon was the dumbest thing you’d ever heard. We were terrified. One of the phrases we always used was ‘We’re terrified, we’re drinking the Kool-Aid that nobody else is.’ We were like, ‘This is so good, but are people going to agree with us?’”
From an initial script by Nicole Perlman, the film turned into a geeky, Star Wars-esque adventure film after James Gunn’s involvement. The filmmaker was known for his particular brand of dark comedy and gore in his films Slither and Super. Despite the skepticism and fear, the film ended up earning $773 million at the box office.
Robert Downey Jr. mentioned how the commercial success of films such as Iron Man and Thor paved the way for more experimental and off-beat films to get made in the MCU. He said,
“It’s like you have a great quarterback, and his brother plays for another team, and then you say: ‘Look, this is their second cousin and we think he has a great arm and he should start.’ And then he goes and wins the Super Bowl.”
The film remains a classic in the MCU and the recent Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 was considered to be a return to form for the franchise as it had been grappling with increasingly negative critical and audience responses.
