If the Marvel Cinematic Universe is as big as it is today, it is in no small part because of Robert Downey Jr. The now Oscar winner actor’s portrayal of Iron Man will always be held as nothing short of remarkable. Downey, as Iron Man, has thus been pretty instrumental in making the superhero verse as influential and successful as we know it today.
And so while his Iron Man might be dead in the MCU, fans have often wondered how he would look like in any other Marvel role. While that might be difficult to figure out unless Marvel does some of its Marvel magic, the actor himself once revealed which two Avengers he would have loved to play.
Robert Downey Jr. Would Love to Play These Two Avengers
Robert Downey Jr.‘s Iron Man might be his greatest and most popular role, not only due to his brilliant acting talent but also how it feels like Downey is really Tony Stark in real life. Yet the actor has maintained he is just an actor and a regular guy, too far from his superhero persona (via Entertainment Weekly).
If that were to be true, one naturally wonders how he would be as any other Marvel or Avengers character. Although it would be difficult to find out what his portrayal would look and feel like, Downey just knows which Marvel characters he would have loved to play.
During an appearance on Kids Ask Robert Downey Jr. Difficult Questions for BBC Radio 1, the actor stated,
“I can’t think of any red-blooded American boy that didn’t imagine themselves as Spider-Man growing up. However, looking back on it now – also because I’m just such a Jeremy Renner fan and he made it so cool, particularly when he turns into Ronin [in Avengers: Endgame] – I would say Hawkeye would be my go-to.”
Downey as Spider-Man or Hawkeye? Even though it’s hard to imagine him in anything other than Iron Man, MCU should take notes as these two choices would surely have been interesting to watch.
Robert Downey Jr. Was Originally Considered for Another Marvel Role
Robert Downey Jr.’s run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be over, but his legacy as Iron Man and the way he portrayed the character will forever be etched in the heart of every Marvel fan. Today, it is hard to imagine an MCU where Downey is not Iron Man, for it was his charismatic portrayal that gave birth to the massive superhero realm in cinema (see YouTube).
Yet, the actor was not originally slated to star as the Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist, as Jon Favreau and Kevin Feige revealed while celebrating the 15th anniversary of Iron Man (via Marvel Enterqtainment).
“I remember you [Kevin Feige] had all met with him [Downey] already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project. I think he had come through on like maybe Fantastic Four, so everybody sort of knew who he was.”
With a Fantastic Four movie on the way and the place of Doctor Doom vacant, maybe Marvel should rope in one of the most prolific actors of their ensemble cast!
Even though it might be a hard thing to achieve, every Marvel fan is certainly glad that the actor was ultimately cast as Iron Man!
The whole Marvel Cinematic Universe can be streamed on Disney+.
