Marvel Studios didn't originally want Robert Downey Jr. to play Tony Stark in Iron Man, and here's why they were hesitant to cast him. As the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man is largely responsible for launching what became the biggest movie franchise in history. Jon Favreau directed the action blockbuster, which earned rave reviews and made over $500 million worldwide, and immediately made Robert Downey Jr. the face of the MCU moving forward.

The popularity of Downey's Iron Man meant the character/actor combo was at the forefront of most of what the MCU did after. He had a cameo in The Incredible Hulk's post-credits, returned for Iron Man 2 shortly thereafter, and was central to The Avengers. Downey went on to appear in six more MCU movies, including his heroic farewell in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. After spending so much time playing the character, it is impossible to imagine anyone else playing Tony Stark. Downey perfectly embodied the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, but Marvel Studios originally wasn't sold on casting him as Iron Man.

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It is easy to forget where Downey's career was prior to Iron Man now that he's one of the most recognizable actors on the planet. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Downey's career was in jeopardy due to his struggles with substance abuse and arrests. This period of Downey's life included spending time in rehab, jail, and being fired from Ally McBeal. While he went through rehab and started to rehabilitate his career by the time Marvel Studios was casting Iron Man, that didn't make it any easier for the studio to sign off on him as the lead. Favreau has repeatedly confirmed how much pushback he got from Marvel Studios about the idea of casting Downey due to his very public history.

Robert Downey Jr cast as Iron Man

The reservations that Marvel Studios had about making Robert Downey Jr. the lead in Iron Man eventually subsided, in large part because of Favreau. He and Downey both saw the good and bad similarities between Tony Stark and the actor. While Favreau originally wanted Sam Rockwell to play Iron Man, his mind never wavered from Downey once the switch was made. Despite Marvel repeatedly rejecting Favreau's pitch to cast Downey, the director was eventually able to convince them that he was the right man for the job - and the rest is history.

Favreau and Marvel's "gamble" on Downey as Iron Man paid off so well that the future of the actor and superhero in the MCU remains one of the most frequent debates among fans. Avengers: Endgame gave Iron Man a nearly perfect send-off after he used in the Infinity Stones to defeat Thanos, but that hasn't stopped petitions and theories from surfacing about how Iron Man can come back in Phase 4. Whether it would be as a hologram, in flashbacks, or through the multiverse (with or without Downey), many want to see him again. No matter what the future holds for Tony Stark, fans are in agreement that Iron Man and the MCU were better off by having Robert Downey Jr. play him.

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