New fan art swapping Iron Man and The Boys lead Billy Butcher's castings is only 50% awesome, because one side works better than the other. In 2008, Robert Downey Jr. reinvigorated his career when he stepped into the role of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Downey's Tony became the central figure within the MCU, with his initial movies laying the groundwork for what was to come. Last year's Avengers: Endgame served as both Downey and Tony's final film within the franchise, with Tony ultimately sacrificing himself to save the entire universe.
On Amazon's satirical superhero show The Boys, Karl Urban rules as the leader of the titular vigilante group. Butcher is foul-mouthed and ruthless, but season 2, which just wrapped up a few weeks ago, revealed new layers beneath his harsh exterior. The Boys season 2 concluded with Butcher reaching the end of his rope after a pretty heavy loss. As a result, Butcher's story is looking rather bleak as he heads into the currently-in-development season 3.
The best kind of fan art are those that imagine fun "what if" situations, and this newest piece from BossLogic does just that as it flips the castings for Iron Man and Butcher. That means Urban is chilling in the Iron Man suit atop a donut shop sign while Downey leads the Boys through a crowded train station. It's certainly odd to see the two swap places, especially because one of them works far better than the other. Check out the piece down below.
Over the years, Urban has shined in many distinctly different roles, whether it's put-upon doctor Leonard McCoy in the Star Trek films or cowardly henchman Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok. He's excellent as Butcher, and there's little doubt he would make a good Tony Stark. On the other hand, Downey is a similarly talented actor, but picturing him as the brash and rude Butcher doesn't quite fit in the way Urban as Tony does. Of course, others may feel differently, but the above piece seems to make a better case for Urban as Iron Man than vice versa.
Still, it's always fun to imagine what characters would be like if they were played by someone different. It's hard to picture anyone being better suited to the Iron Man role than Downey; that's one of the reasons the MCU has been so successful. The same goes for Urban and Butcher, and if The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke gets his way, fans will likely be seeing a lot more of Urban as their lead. In this instance, things are better off the way they are, though Urban could probably be quite successful at playing Tony Stark.
Source: BossLogic/Twitter