The Chicago Sun-Times recently spoke with the Iron Man star and managed to pry some details about the sequel to the hit film out of him; Movie Hole also asked Downey about Iron Man 2 and got more than they bargained for when the actor went on a tirade, slamming DC Comics and the runaway success of The Dark Knight.
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“You want some plot secrets? Okay, here we go,” Downey said in an interview [with The Chicago Sun-Times] this weekend. “If he said he’s Iron Man in the first film, it’s one thing to say it and another thing to evolve to a point where you can live in a heroic fashion.”
Downey added, “Our goal is also more of the same in ‘Iron Man 2.’ We want to do what worked for us last time. I’m talking about telling more of the story of a guy put in extraordinary circumstances who has a family now and he’s dealing with these forces. In ‘Iron Man 2,’ you will be able to understand various points of view about him that are far-reaching while this guy is still grounded in reality.”
Ok, so basically they’re taking the Christopher Nolan approach: using the continuity established in the first film to logically expand on the plot threads left hanging at the conclusion of the origin story. Not too original, but hey, if the wheel works so well why re-invent it, right?
Downey pretty much echoed his sentiments about IM2 in an interview with Movie Hole, adding that
It’s pretty great and I think it’s going to be cool… [Iron Man has] a very rich feel, because it was a very simple movie, if you ask me. It was an origin story.”
And that’s about when the daggers started flying:
“My whole thing is that 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…and I’m like, ‘That’s not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.’ I…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–k DC comics. That’s all I have to say and that’s where I’m really coming from.”
Wow, tell us how you really feel Rob. (It may be time to start urine-testing this guy again.)
Seriously though, I don’t see why Downey is hating on TDK. Iron Man tore it up at the box office ($569 million worldwide as of today,) and basically put Downey back on Hollywood’s radar. What, did that stupid MTV movie award go to his head? Or maybe Marvel has a clause in their contracts which states that their stars have to bad-mouth DC whenever and wherever possible. Hell, maybe Downey is just doing his job
So what do YOU think about Robert Downey Jr.’s kind words for Iron Man 2? About his hateful words for The Dark Knight? You have my permission to sound off.
Source: The Chicago Sun-Times & Movie Hole
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209 Comments
“Downey received an Academy Award nomination and won the BAFTA (British Academy Award) Best Actor for his performance in the title role of Chaplin, released in 1992. Hes also a Golden Globe Winner.
I seriously doubt hes jelous.”
Also don’t forget to add how many rehab appointments he has won. You can never do enough justice to coke or heroin, right?
Well if you let his personal problems influence your opinion of him as an actor then yeah whatever. 789
Do you have a problem ???
yo 789, 790 and all other numbers out there,
RDJ won MTV movie award a few months back to, don’t forget that in your quabble
And for 789, what do you mean you can never do justice to drugs…what does that mean? Justice is not served on drug users? rehab works/doesn’t work? I don’t understand that phrase.
I’m with Kane. This is really a pointless debate. “My superhero is better than YOUR superhero!”
Come on guys, we were blessed with a couple of fantastic superhero movies this year, let’s be happy about that!
Comparing TDK and Iron Man is apples and oranges, they’re just not equivalent. They were both great but each on its own level.
Vic
Yeah, well their’s just one thing I want to know Vic and that’s just where Kofi’s DVD fight is gonna take place, in the microwave or on the tube??
@the old man
LOL, you’ll have to ask Kofi.
Vic
@Kane, if that’s not the point of the topic in the first place, then I submit that this whole conversation is pointless…. Either you defend RDJ’s comments, or not. I don’t.
A better comparison might be, how many parts he gets in the future that aren’t Iron Man, vs. Christian Bale, that aren’t Batman. I suspect Bale has a longer career ahead of him, while as we’ve discussed, RDJ’s best years are behind him.
Vic, you are with Kane?! Come one!!! I was the one who said that it was a pointless comparison! Anyway I’m a huge fan of both the characters and I can defend either one of them if I need to.
The debate you mentioned was actually about who had the most traumatic experience. I was just trying to point out that a ten year old(in this case a young Bruce Wayne) wouldn’t have the ability to deal with such trauma as well as a resourceful adult(Tony Stark).
@Risa
LOL, yeah I hear ya. It just kind of devolved.
Vic
Guys and gals, don’t be thick. Of course I know that commercial success is a superficial measurement of quality. But YOU need to realize that “QUALITY” in regards to art and entertainment is a relative term. Your Quality sure as hell isn’t the same as my kind of quality, in probably 9 out of 10 categories you could mention. So in that sense commercial success DOES play a role. Titanic is the best example: I HATE that movie, never saw it in theaters, and wanted the hours of my life back when it was done. But being a grown ass man, I had to admit that this was AMERICA, and though I thought the flick deserved a Razzie, A CONSIDERABLE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE DIFFERENT FROM ME FELT OTHERWISE. That’s what separates enlightened people from small people: consideration for what people who AREN’T YOU might feel or believe in. In America we believe in Democracy and majority rules. I hate Titanic, but to call it a “terrible film” implies that it has failed in its goal: to be a successful vehicle for people’s emotions and imaginations. The amount of people who saw the film and re-saw it CLEARLY indicates that Titanic’s intended goal as a piece of art was indeed reached. The film is still revered by many. Truly “Bad” films don’t earn Big office takes, because they fail in their intended artistic goals. TDK has not done that in any sense, while a fair number of non-fan boys agree that IM is a film that is basically RDJ sitting in a mechanic’s garage for 40+ min talking to himself with one truly cool F/X sequence (The Mid East) thrown in to get people in the theater.
Notice also, how TDK has become a phenomenon beyond the movie theater. I STILL hear people talking about the movie and not just the usual (that scene was badass! Or that was hilarious!); they discuss the moral and philosophical dilemmas raised about society and order–heady stuff you’d never expect certain corners of the population to discuss; but discussing it they are.
What the hell do people have to say about IM???? What greater point did the film make? ZIP-ZERO.
It’s the classic DC/MARVEL division: Marvel has always been successful with telling great comic book stories, full of pulp and fantasy and action; but all of their major characters are very allegorical and one-dimensional. Always have been. Spidey = Downtrodden Nerd boy gets to be the hero and get the girl; Hulk = Repressed, down-trodden nerd guy learns the cost of repression (and nuke power is dangerous!); X-men = “Hey Outsiders and minorities contribute to the good of society too!” (60’s hippie propaganda); Iron Man = Arms dealer nearly killed by own tech, decides to make amends. Yay.
DC, on the other hand, has always had a stable of major characters what I argue were ALWAYS too large to be contained by comic books. They’re psychologies are more complex (Batman could have been Freud’s only patient and the Dr. wouldn’t have figured him out) and the impact they’ve had as cultural icons has been more tremendous than any. Marvel. Character. Ever. (The Batman/Superman dichotomy is a bonafide psychological quandary now!)
It’s why DC has had more success in the animation field while Marvel has done better in comics. DC’s characters have graduated to the more complex storytelling medium of visual media. Marvel’s boys belong in kiddies comics.
NUFF SAID (no, really, this is like an essay, this all I just wrote. Crazy.)
ppnkof,
There’s been wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy more marvel films (featuring different characters) than DC films…so im not sure how that plays into your theory.
I dunno why you’re trying to label or differentiate the two, its all just your opinion.
You say dont be thick to everyone here, yet you got a pile of fully capitalized things in your post, you say comics from marvel are kiddie…and worse, your post is designed as a DC fanboy rant. lol.
Personally, I love the flicks from both publishers and I also enjoy the title character comics from both sides. Actually I just got a lot of comics from DC’s countdown and Marvel’s Astonishing X-men.
Hold on, I just re-read your post because I was confused.
You explained how you hate titanic but that it is unfair to say its a ‘terrible film’ which is clearly true. You also say:
“consideration for what people who AREN’T YOU might feel or believe in”
Then you go into this rant about how YOU hear people talking about TDK all the time…well can just as easily say that I hear people talking about Hulk and Ironman all the time, no one talking about TDK….Then you say “what the hell do people say about iron man?” You don’t know what people have to say about Iron man…You don’t….YOU don’t….you?
Are you for real man?
This is all your opinion and everything you say goes against what you started your post with. You list all your opinions of what the Marvel and DC things are and who they are good for using words like: kiddie, one-dimensional, allegorical
Dude, this is a huge case of hypocrisy.
You are not considering what other people like, feel, or think…you are literally only considering your own opinions, literally. You just took your own biased opinions (of something you personally like and feel) and tried to make it sound like that’s how the rest of the world should feel or think too…or that that is actually how the world is (*whispers* that’s only in your own mind, lol)
I actually own very few DC comics Rob, so you’re incorrect. I’m not a “fanboy” of any kind. I prefer having a life. It’s my separation from the comic material that keeps my objective. Marvel has more films, yes, but they’re just comic book fare, mostly cheesy stuff too. DC films have TRANSCENDED that genre, comics, to become CULTURAL ICONS. The Christopher Reeves Supmerman films (1&2) cultural icons. The Batman TV shows and films through the decades, CULTURAL ICONS. You let me know when Spidey’s CGI ass starts being used to represent America. As a comic lover, I’ve always been camp Marvel since the 70’s; as a tv/film lover, always camp DC. Deal.
hey bud, I’m glad you posted that response.
This run of Countdown will be the first DC comics I ever bought (I got a package deal with the astonishing X-men run). The only Marvel comics I have bought are these Joss Whedon Astonishing x-men titles. I have like 10 Marvel comics and some random superman comics from the early 90s that my mom bought for me as little toddler, heh. I just got back into comics beginning of this year so I won’t be buying any more other than astonishing. I read just the X-titles online but that’s all to the side.
I’m glad you’re not a “fanboy”, lol but your post as I said was designed as or sounded like a fanboy rant from DC’s side, and that’s how I worded it.
In any case, I really really wanted you to see that you kinda contradicted your opening because throughout the entire post you were imposing your opinions on Marvel and DC just after saying its wrong to call a film terrible if so many others like it (imposing an opinion).
But ya, sadly, alot of Marvel films have not been good. Ghostrider, Electra, Spidey 3, X3, daredevil, Nick Fury, Fantastic Four films (although I didn’t mind either), Ang Lee’s Hulk, etc. etc. but there are alot of bad DC films to, a couple of the batmans, the later superman films, catwoman… but that’s really all there is. If you look at a list of DC films, all there is, is swamp thing, batman and superman movies … that’s it. But at least we have Watchmen coming out.
Mike Shields: “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.”
;o)
Brilliant stuff here!!!I love RDJ’s attack on the Dark Knight which has fooled evryone into beleiving it is something more than it is!So what if it’s smashing box office records,it’s still crap and over-rated!
D.C were always no-where near Marvel when it came to making comics and now we can see it with the movies!Iron-Man was a far better fun/action/humour movie!
Since seeing TDK I have enjoyed watching Spider-Man 3 even-more,see I just take the approach that most of the critics have taken with TDK and ignore the flat boring bits with too many characters and villains and pretent that one of the actors in it died before it came out and there you go,as good a movie as you’re ever going to see!
lol Braveheart,
I really like TDK, but I friggin hate spidey 3 so I agree to a certain extent. TDK is overrated, I guess hype blinds.
I’d give it like an 8 or 8.5 out of 10, the more I think the lower it gets but its still fantastic. I much prefer Ironman, and I think that movie is better designed in that it opens and ends in a good way. I think TDK doesn’t in that aspect, but has higher quality production throughout. I attribute that to Favreau being relatively new and unexperienced coming in to this. I think Ironman 2, when it comes out should be compared to TDK. And I predict, it should absolutely destroy TDK in quality and hopefully, the cash INflow
i agree with rob the more i think about the film the more i dislike it, 1st time i watched it i thought it was a 9 now i would give it an 8. i don’t think its as clever as it wanted it to be, the film might as well have used morgan freeman for what he is best at which is narrating cause every character explains why they are doing what they are doing and what its supposed to mean. i thought clever films where ones that make you think for your self not the ones that tell you what to think but thats just my opinion.
@ de ron assis: Is it fair to compare “The Dark Knight”, a second act story with “Iron Man?” “Iron Man” is an origin story. The better question might be, viewed from Rob’s over all preferred theme Does “Iron Man” fit that as well as “Batman Begins?” Equal or worse?
Iron-Man was not well known to the main viewing public so could have been another Ghost Rider,but was a cool hit and gave the world another huge superhero to compete at the top,Batman is already an iconic hero and had all that hype surrounding the cast!Then they dreesed it up as something more than a superhero movie…that’s the crap part!I hated that whole bit with Morgan Freeman and that stupid sonar-Dare Devil rip off!This movie is everything I hate about critics jumping on band wagons,no-one wanting to step up and say that it ain’t that good and has lots of boring bits all the way through it’s “3″ hour running time!
to the old man
I didn’t say in that comment anything about iron man, I just said what I thought about tdk after watching it the second time. What you said about it being compared with batman begins was right and I personally prefer iron man.
TDK is a superior film. I’ll also always watch a great film over a fun film. Iron Man was cool it had an entertaining story so cool action and was pretty funny. However, it lacked depth of any kind everything was very much on the surface. TDK was about emotion and depth there was actually a meaningful plot. I’ll watch TDK a lot more than I’ll watch Iron Man.
I always prefer good film and lets face it the only reason I showed up to watch Iron Man was because I read the comics. I never showed up to watch transformers I refused to give it money I downloaded it for free watched it and try to avoid thinking about that mindless piece of garbage. Iron man is better than transformers but when you think about it they are pretty similar.
@ de ron assis: “I personally prefer iron man.”
Over “Batman Begins or “The Dark Knight” and why?
both, batman begins was good but but the ending was a bit too simple and i can hardly remember it, tdk i really wanted to like and i didn’t dislike it but the second time i watched it i realized i didn’t have to think at all because of the clever depth people keep talking about was not there, every character explained there thoughts and feelings like we are their therapist instead of just acting it out. they all made wicked characters and played the role well but they might as well have narrated the so called underlying meaning.
just my opinion btw i dont expect any one to agree
I agree De Ron Assis, TDK had alot of problems.
Were not all brainwashed here at Screen Rant,,,
It was a good film but ehh,, the viral marketing and Heaths death had a crapload to do with its success.
The film has major logic issues.
totally brainwashed!!!!
jk
I think RDJ hates the idea of people respecting him…….as soon as he gets any respect he jumps back on drugs or has to say something stupid……he is a self destructing time bomb……..I just hope he can keep it together long enough to get another great Ironman movie out…..am I the only one who caught the part about him having a family in the next movie?? Will there be an Ironkid?? Hey I got an idea!!! IronKid can battle SuperKid…..I don’t know maybe that was stupid, but I made myself laugh, so that has to count for something……right??
–Smitty–
holy crap. If he’s got a child, its all over.
Smitty, I just assumed he meant it as in realising he now had a bunch of loyal companions – the nearest thing Stark would ever get to a proper family. As Rob says, if he did mean an actual wife and kid(s) that would be a bit of a disaster.
So is it fair to say de ron assis that you think and feel that TDK was predigested for you?
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